In the First Reading, from Wisdom, we hear the wicked plotting against the just one, and condemning him to a shameful death because he said, “God will take care of me.” In the Responsorial Psalm, the psalmist prays for God’s steadfast mercy because “the ruthless seek my life.” And in the Gospel, Jesus tries to warn his followers that he will be put to death—but will rise.
Its words, like those of Psalm 54, speak of deep faith in the midst of great suffering.
His followers don’t get it. They’re still jockeying for position, still thinking in hierarchical terms. But Jesus tells them anyone who wants to be first will be the last of all. They still don’t get it, not really. They’re unwilling to even think of his dying, much less the likelihood that they, his followers, too will die.
Bob Dufford’s sturdy “Be Not Afraid” is a natural for today; we sing it to encourage one another, to remind each other that Jesus has gone before us even to death, and though we die, we shall rise with him.
When Thomas Dorsey’s beloved wife died in 1932 while giving birth to a child who died, too, he wrote a song that lives in our hearts today. “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” is published in more than 40 languages, and was Martin Luther King’s Jr.’s favorite hymn. It’s been recorded by such disparate singers as Mahalia Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Jimmy Durante, Pat Boone, and Faith Hill. Its passionate plea for God’s help transcends color and culture. Its words, like those of Psalm 54, speak of deep faith in the midst of great suffering.
