Innocent Sufferers
Homily for Fifth Wednesday in Lent
March 20, 2024
Homily for Fifth Wednesday in Lent
March 20, 2024
Homily for Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Wednesday in the Fifth Week of Lent
Song of the Three Young Men, 29-34
[photo credit: Baby Jesus amongst the rubble. Screenshot from a video entitled: Quiet Christmas in Bethlehem: Pledging solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza from Al Jazeera English's YouTube channel. Fair use.]
As we draw near to Holy Week, the lectionary for our mid-week Eucharists includes a series of readings about innocent sufferers. The first lesson from last Friday, for example, was from Wisdom chapter 2: “Let us lie in wait for the righteous man… Let us test him with insults and torture” (2:12, 19). Monday’s reading was the story of Susanna, who was unjustly accused of adultery and at the last-minute saved from being put to death (Susanna 41-62). And this evening’s Old Testament lesson is the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego whom King Nebuchadnezzar cast into the fiery furnace for refusing to worship his gods.
As we approach the Passion, these readings about innocent sufferers put us in mind of Jesus, who was innocent and suffered and was unjustly put to death. As an innocent victim, Jesus calls our attention to all innocent victims, be they civilians living in war zones, for example, or citizens unjustly imprisoned or persecuted minorities. And not only do these scripture readings and Jesus’ Passion call our attention to innocent sufferers, but they also communicate that God is to be found among innocent sufferers. A beautiful image of God’s presence among innocents who suffer was this year’s Christmas Crèche in Bethlehem. You may recall how this year’s crèche set the Holy Family not in a stable of wood with a manger of straw but rather amid concrete rubble and razor wire. “There,” this crèche said in effect, “with all innocent sufferers is Jesus. Jesus stands with all who are innocents and who suffer unjustly.”
I hope the Bible’s stories of innocent sufferers, and also Jesus’ own innocent suffering, might open our eyes and hearts to all who are innocent and who suffer unjustly. I hope these examples of innocent suffering might call us to do our utmost to work for justice and peace, and also to remember in our prayers all innocent victims.
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