Jesus was the Suffering Servant sung about by Isaiah.

Thursday, 5/8/14

The first reading is from the Acts of the Apostles written by St. Luke. In it an official of Candace, Queen f the Ethiopians, was reading  a passage from Isaiah that described one who was led like a sheep to its slaughter. Getting up into the carriage with the official, Philip explained to the man that the passage was a prophesy about the death suffered by Jesus. He had been reading from the fourth of the Songs of the Suffering Servant. It is from Chapter 53 of Isaiah. Let me quote some of the beautiful verses.

He is despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows,

a man acquainted with grief.

And we hid our faces from him. He was despised,

and we esteemed him not.

But 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.

The chastisement of our peace was on him,

And with his stripes we are healed.

He was oppressed and afflicted,

Yet he opened not his mouth.

He was brought like a lamb to his slaughter,

And like a sheep before his shearers

He was dumb, and opened not his mouth.