First Reading (Isaiah 50,4-7)
Reading of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.
The Lord God gave me a trained tongue, so that I know how to speak words of comfort to the downcast person; He awakens me every morning and stirs my ear to pay attention like a disciple. The Lord opened my ears; I didn’t resist him or turn back. I offered my back to be beaten and my cheeks to rip out my beard; I didn’t turn my face away from slaps and spit. But the Lord God is my helper, that’s why I didn’t allow myself to be discouraged, I kept my face as impassive as stone, because I know I won’t be humiliated.
– Word of the Lord.
– Thank God.
Second Reading (Philippians 2:6-11)
Reading of the Letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians.
Jesus Christ, existing in a divine condition, did not make being equal to God a usurpation, but he emptied himself, assuming the condition of a slave and becoming equal to men. Found with a human appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God exalted him above all and gave him the Name that is above every name. So at the name of Jesus, let every knee bow, in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue proclaim, “Jesus Christ is Lord,” to the glory of God the Father.
– Word of the Lord.
– Thank God.
Announcement of the Gospel (Luke 23,1-49)
Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke.
At that time, the whole crowd got up and took Jesus to Pilate. Then they began to accuse him, saying:
“We found this man committing subversion among our people, forbidding paying taxes to Caesar and claiming to be Christ the King.”
Pilate questioned him:
“Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus responded by declaring:
“You say so!”
Then Pilate said to the high priests and the crowd:
“I find no crime in this man.”
They, however, insisted:
“He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee, where he began, to here.”
When he heard this, Pilate asked:
“Is this man a Galilean?”
Upon learning that Jesus was under the authority of Herod, Pilate sent him to him, as Herod was also in Jerusalem at that time. Herod was very happy to see Jesus, for he had long wanted to see him. I had already heard about him and hoped to see him perform some miracle. He interrogated him with many questions. Jesus, however, did not answer him.
The high priests and teachers of the Law were present and insistently accused him. Herod, with his soldiers, treated Jesus with contempt, mocked him, dressed him in bright clothes, and sent him back to Pilate. That day Herod and Pilate became friends with each other, because before they were enemies.
Then Pilate called together the high priests, the rulers, and the people, and said to them:
“You brought this man to me as if he were an agitator of the people. Well then! I have already questioned him before you and I did not find in him any of the crimes of which you accuse him; neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. As you can see, he did nothing to deserve death. Therefore, I will punish him and release him.”
The whole crowd started shouting:
“Away with him! Release Barabbas to us!”
Barabbas had been arrested because of a revolt in the city and for murder. Pilate spoke to the crowd again, as he wanted to free Jesus. But they shouted:
“Crucify him! Crucify him!”
And Pilate spoke for the third time:
“What evil has this man done? I have found no crime in him that deserves death. Therefore, I will punish him and release him.”
They, however, continued to shout with all their might, asking for him to be crucified. And their shouting grew louder and louder. So Pilate decided that what they asked should be done. He released the man they wanted — the one who had been arrested for revolt and murder — and handed Jesus over to their will.
While they were taking Jesus, they caught a certain Simon, from Cyrene, who was returning from the field, and they imposed the cross on him to carry behind Jesus. A large crowd of people and women followed him, beating their chests and crying for him. But Jesus turned and said:
“Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me! Weep for yourselves and for your children! For the days will come when they will say, ‘Blessed are the women who never bore children, the wombs that never gave birth, and the breasts that never suckled.’ Then they will begin to ask the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’
They also took two other criminals to be killed along with Jesus. When they arrived at the place called “Calvary”, there they crucified Jesus and the evildoers: one on his right and one on his left. Jesus said:
“Father, forgive them! They don’t know what they’re doing!”
Then they drew lots, dividing Jesus’ clothes among them. The people remained there, watching. And even the chiefs mocked, saying:
“Others he saved. Save yourself, if indeed you are the Christ of God, the Chosen One!”
The soldiers also made fun of him; They approached, offered him vinegar, and said: “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!”
Above him was a sign:
“This is the King of the Jews.”
One of the crucified criminals insulted him, saying:
“Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!”
But the other rebuked him, saying:
“Do you not even fear God, you who suffer the same condemnation? For us, it is fair, because we are getting what we deserve; but he did nothing wrong.”
And he added:
“Jesus, remember me when you enter into your kingdom.”
Jesus answered him, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
It was already around noon and darkness covered the entire land until three o’clock in the afternoon, as the sun stopped shining. The curtain of the sanctuary was torn in half, and Jesus gave a loud cry:
“Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”
Saying this, he expired.
The Roman army officer saw what had happened and glorified God, saying:
“Indeed! This man was righteous!”
And the crowds, who had come to watch, saw what had happened and returned home, beating their breasts. All of Jesus’ acquaintances, as well as the women who accompanied him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
— Word of Salvation.
— Glory to you, Lord.
Reflecting the Word of God
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today we find ourselves on the threshold of Holy Week, contemplating the central mystery of our faith – the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The readings we have just heard invite us on a profound journey through the valley of humiliation, suffering and total surrender. It is a journey that challenges us, disturbs us, but which, paradoxically, offers us the greatest hope the world has ever known.
Let us imagine for a moment the scene described by the prophet Isaiah. A man who, every morning, wakes up with his ear open to the voice of God. A man who was given “the tongue of the learned” to speak words of comfort to the downcast. And yet this same man faces brutal opposition: “I offered my back to be beaten and my cheeks to pluck my beard; I did not turn my face away from slaps and spit.”
Who is this mysterious suffering servant of whom Isaiah speaks? For centuries, the Jewish people have wondered about their identity. Could it be the prophet himself? Would it be the people of Israel as a whole? For us Christians, the answer is revealed in the bloodied face of Jesus of Nazareth, in his back torn apart by the whips, in his face disfigured by the blows.
But what makes Isaiah’s description even more surprising is this servant’s attitude: “I have not turned away my face…I have made my face as hard as stone.” This is not suffering imposed against the victim’s will. It is suffering that is consciously accepted, faced with determination and courage. “The Lord God is my helper, so I did not let myself be discouraged.”
This prophecy, written centuries before Christ, finds its perfect fulfillment in Jesus’ attitude described in the letter to the Philippians. Paul presents us with a Christological hymn of incomparable beauty and depth. In it we contemplate the mystery of kenosis – the voluntary emptying of Christ.
“He, existing in divine form, did not regard being equal to God as a prey to grasp.” What disconcerting words! Unlike Adam, who tried to “be like God” through disobedience, Jesus, who was God, did not cling to this condition. Instead, “he emptied himself, taking the form of a servant.”
Reflect deeply on this paradox: the Lord of the universe becomes a servant. The Creator becomes a creature. The Eternal enters time. Infinity limits itself. The Immortal embraces mortality. And not only that: “He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
The cross – an instrument of torture reserved for the most despicable criminals, a symbol of curse in Jewish culture, an emblem of the cruelty of Roman imperial power. This is the destiny that Jesus voluntarily embraces. This is the path he follows with unshakable determination.
And this is where we come to the Gospel of Luke, with its extensive and detailed account of the Passion. Luke, the doctor, the careful observer, leads us step by step along the way of the cross. We see Jesus before Pilate, before Herod, again before Pilate. We see the manipulated crowd chanting “Crucify him!” We see Barabbas, a murderer, being released while the Author of Life is condemned.
Luke’s narrative is full of tragic irony. He who healed countless sick people now walks wounded towards execution. He who raised the dead now heads to his own tomb. He who taught love to enemies is now the object of violent hatred.
And then, in the crucifixion scene, Luke shows us details that touch our hearts deeply. Jesus, nailed between two criminals, prays: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” In the midst of the most intense physical pain, in the midst of public humiliation, his concern is for the forgiveness of those who crucify him.
One of the criminals insults him, echoing the leaders’ taunts: “If you are the Christ, save yourself and us!” But the other recognizes his own guilt and Jesus’ innocence, and pleads: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom!” Christ’s immediate response is a promise of paradise, even in his moment of greatest agony.
And finally, the cry that sums it all up: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” It is the cry of total surrender, of absolute trust. It is the perfect fulfillment of what Isaiah’s suffering servant had announced: “The Lord God is my helper, therefore I did not let myself be cast down.”
My dear brothers and sisters, what do these readings have to tell us today, in our concrete reality? How does the path of the suffering servant illuminate our own lives?
First, they challenge us to confront the mystery of suffering. We live in a culture that runs away from suffering at all costs, that medicates it, anesthetizes it, and hides it. But the cross teaches us that suffering, when embraced with love and offered to God, can become a path to redemption. Not that we should seek suffering for its own sake – that would be masochism, not Christianity. But when inevitable suffering crosses our path – illness, loss, rejection, failure – we can transform it, through union with Christ, into a path of spiritual growth.
Second, these readings invite us to authentic humility. Not a feigned or calculated humility, but the true emptying of ourselves following Christ’s example. In a world obsessed with status, power, and affirmation of the ego, Christ’s kenosis is revolutionary. It calls us to serve rather than be served, to give rather than hoard, to lift others rather than promote ourselves.
Third, today’s readings tell us about radical forgiveness. Jesus’ words on the cross – “Father, forgive them” – defy all our justifications for holding grudges and harboring grudges. If Christ could forgive his torturers and murderers at the height of their suffering, what excuse do we have for not forgiving those who hurt us?
Fourth, the Passion of Christ teaches us about trusting God in the midst of darkness. “Into your hands I commend my spirit” – this is the prayer we are called to pray in moments when we do not understand God’s ways, when everything seems to fall apart, when we feel abandoned. It is the trust that even when we cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel, God is with us in the darkness.
Finally, these readings remind us of the glorious outcome that awaits the suffering servant. As Paul tells us, “For this reason God exalted him above all things and gave him the Name that is above every name.” The cross is not the last word. Humiliation is not the end of the story. Suffering is not the final destination. After Good Friday comes Easter Sunday. After the cross comes the resurrection. After death comes eternal life.
As we prepare to enter the mysteries of Holy Week, may we walk with Christ on his path of suffering, but always with our eyes fixed on the hope of the resurrection. May we learn from him the art of love that gives itself completely. May we, like the good thief, recognize in Jesus crucified our Savior and King. And may we, at the end of our own earthly journey, surrender our spirit into the hands of the Father with the same confidence that Jesus demonstrated.
May the grace of this sacred time profoundly transform our lives. And may the peace of Christ, that peace that the world cannot give, dwell in your hearts today and always. Amen.
