Man of Sorrows

Good Friday’s bible readings contained one of my favorite biblical chapters, Isaiah 53.  The chapter contains the most overt and direct prophecies of the suffering of Jesus and more importantly, the essence of the Passion—the suffering for our sins. 

After the opening credits of Mel Gibson’s masterful The Passion Of The Christ, and before the first scene, a written excerpt of this chapter opens up the film.  To me, this added to the power of the film and jump-started the barrage of emotions that flows from the movie.

Here is Isaiah 53 in it’s entirety:

Isaiah 53 (King James Version)

Isaiah 53
1Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

2For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

3He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

8He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

9And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

10Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

11He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

12Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Good Friday is a day of reflection and of rememberance, but unfortunately, Good Friday 2009 is even more so due to recent events. 

Read Pope Benedict’s Good Friday address here; the homily is not up on the Vatican website, but The Anchoress has a link to a transcript.

The image on this post is of from the famous Deesis mosaic at the Hagia Sophia, Turkey.

Advent 2008 Coming To A Close

With Christmas being this Thursday, the fourth Sunday of Advent is today, December 21st, which means Advent is coming to a close.  It seems like forever since the beginning of this Advent season.  Hopefully, you’ve been able to put aside the usual preoccupations of the holidays (shopping, eating, aggravation) and reflect on the real meaning of the season. 

The Anchoress has been doing an excellent job of blogging Advent 2008. 

Today’s readings, for those who missed Mass today.

Advent 2008

As most Americans celebrated Thanksgiving this past week, the world witnessed some abhorrent tragedies; tragedies in the form of Islamic terrorism abroad and consumerism run amok here in the USA.   

Time to put things in perspective.  Let’s look away from the culture of death.  For Catholics, today is the first day of Advent.  Rather than my trying to expound its importance, read this and this.  The Anchoress puts things in perspective.

And, for those who did not make it to Mass today.