Be Faithful and Stand in Time of persecution, Trials and Adversity

 Reflection on Today's Readings, Wednesday of Holy Week, Year B, March 31st, 2021
Texts: Is. 50:4-9a; Ps 69:8-10.21-22.31.33-34; Mtt. : 14-25
The faithful shall stand before God in confidence. Today's first reading gives a background to the confidence of Jesus Christ during his passion.   His faithfulness to God the Father gives Him confidence and enable Him to endure the passion. Jesus Christ hears the Father and keeps His words. The Father has taught Him, He has learnt from the Father and has heeded the Father's instructions and guidance. The reading puts it this way: "The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him that is weary. Morning by morning he wakens, he wakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I turned not backward." He received the tongue of those who are taught  because He is able to teach what He has been taught to help others. This reminds us that we are not to keep to ourselves what we have received from God, we are to make use of them and share them with others; we are to share the words of God with others. God will waken our ears morning by morning, day by day, whenever we read His words, morning by morning, day by day. This means we are to read the words of God every morning, day by day. When we keep the words of God that we read and do them, then we can say "I was not rebellious, I turned not backward." To say that we are not rebellious nor turn back is to say that we keep the words of God we hear and read day by day.
Jesus Christ has been faithful and so He is sure of God's help in time of persecution, trials and adversity. The reading says, " I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I hid not my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been confounded; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame; he who vindicates me is near." This is a reminder for us to be faithful so as to be able to stand in time of persecution, trial and adversity. We learn from today's first reading that he who is faithful stands in time of  persecution, trials and adversity. Faithfulness gives confidence and assurance of God's help. Put differently, faithfulness to God earns us His help and strength from Him to persevere in time of persecution, trials and adversity.
Today's gospel reading tells us the result of not being faithful to God. Judas Iscariot failed to be faithful to God, and he became a betrayer. He sold Jesus Christ for money. This kind of attitude is still  common in our society, today: friend betraying friend for money. Such attitude should not be found among us. It is money that is ruling the world now, no longer love. We should allow the love of God to rule us and our world, instead of love of money. Many have become unfaithful to God because of money; many a time we  choose the things of this world over God. Judas Iscariot chose money over Jesus. We are not to behave like judas Iscariot, we should always choose Jesus Christ over and above the things of this world.

Lord our God, grant us the grace to always be faithful to You, grace to always choose Jesus over and above the  things of this world and bless us with your peace and joy. Amen.

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke