The reading from the Book of Wisdom that we heard today will return to us on Good Friday. It speaks of a righteous person who becomes the target of resentment and hostility—not because he has done wrong, but because his goodness exposes the darkness around him. His very life is a challenge to those who reject God. They plot against him, tear at his reputation, and test him to see if God will defend him. Yet, as we hear elsewhere in Scripture, he does not retaliate. He turns the other cheek.
In the Gospel, we see this pattern fulfilled in Jesus Himself. He moves quietly because there are those who want to kill Him, yet He still goes up to Jerusalem. He still teaches openly in the Temple. He allows Himself to be seen. And even then, the people struggle to recognize who He truly is. The One sent by the Father stands in their midst, and they do not know Him.
These readings cast a long shadow toward the days ahead, when we will once again witness the mystery of human cruelty and divine love intertwined. They prepare us for the Passion, when the Innocent One will suffer at the hands of the unjust.
But into that darkness, Psalm 34 speaks a word of hope: “The Lord hears the cry of the poor.” Many are the troubles of the just, but God delivers them. God does not send suffering, nor does He delight in it. We endure suffering because of the choices and sins of others. Yet God walks with us through it. He keeps us standing upright when others try to tear us down. He strengthens the brokenhearted and rescues those whose spirits have been crushed.
As we draw closer to Good Friday, we remember that Jesus has already walked this path. Because He has gone before us, no one who suffers walks alone. And because He rose, suffering never has the final word.