Palm Sunday – First Reading – 03/29/2026

This reading from Isaiah is the third of his four Servant Songs, demonstrating obedience and faithfulness.  Proclaim this as a preview of the coming attraction—the reading of Christ’s Passion.

Transcript

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Howdy, and welcome to Bob the Lecture. I'm Bob. The purpose of this podcast is to inspire Catholic lectures to bring their proclamation of God's Word to life. This episode is for the March twenty ninth, Sunday Mass's first reading. It's Palm Sunday, year A. A reading from the book of the Prophet Isaiah. The Lord God has given me a well trained tongue, that I might know how to speak to the weary, a word that will rouse them. Morning after morning he opens my ear that I may hear, and I have not rebelled, have not turned back. I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard, my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. The Lord God is my help. Therefore I am not disgraced. I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame. The word of the Lord. Wow, it's Palm Sunday, and we get to hear and experience the passion of Christ, and of course it's just one more week to Easter. So let's get to it, shall we? I always start my own lecture practice with preparation, which is not the external proclamation, but the internal discernment of the message. What is God saying to us in this reading? What's the point of this reading? What's the meaning of this reading? Because if it doesn't mean anything to us, how can we as lectures make it mean anything to the congregation before us? For my own preparation, I focus on where the reading aims for the heart, because that's where the strongest emotional connection will register with the people in the pews. This passage is one of those, but it doesn't hurt to know the historical background. Scholars believe this text was not actually penned by Isaiah, but by a successor and understudy. It was written during the Babylonian exile, certainly a discouraging time for the author's Jewish audience. This is the third of four servant songs. In this one, the suffering servant demonstrates obedience and faithfulness. Think of this passage as a preview of the coming attraction in two ways, in a prophetic sense, hundreds of years before the coming of Christ, as well as cueing up the passion, which we will hear shortly after this reading. The central message to the people in the pews is that Isaiah, through the suffering servant, is speaking a word to the weary that will revive them. Also, the reading speaks explicitly about the torture Jesus, God's suffering servant, willingly subjects himself to for our salvation. Communicate the magnificence of this gift of God's reckless love for us. What lessons do you get from this reading? We start off. The Lord God has given me a well trained tongue, that I might know how to speak to the weary, a word that will rouse them. Morning after morning he opens my ear, that I may hear, and I have not rebelled, have not turned back. The theme and tone of this section is obedience. Demonstrate that in your demeanor and tone of voice. Add a short pause after weary. If you can, memorize this segment of the sentence that follows tongue so you can make eye contact with the congregation and speak specifically to those that feel weary and need encouragement. Read morning after morning he opens my ear without a pause. Consider inserting a small pause after ear. You can also read the balance of that clause straight through without any stops, like morning after morning he opens my ear that I may hear. Decide which is most authentic for you. Emphasize given, well trained, speak, weary, word, rouse, opens hear, the first not and the second knot. Next I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard, my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. The theme and tone of this section is suffering, but with a complete absence of any sense of victimhood. Note this section is a verbatim prediction of Jesus' suffering. In John 19 1, Jesus is flogged. He gave his back to those who beat him. In Matthew 267 and 2730, he is spat upon by the Sanhedrin and the Roman soldiers, respectively. We will hear from Matthew in a short while. Plus, for a Jewish man back in those days, plucking someone's beard is the ultimate act of mockery, dishonor, and humiliation. Accentuate gave, beat, cheeks, plucked, face, buffets, as well as spitting. Place particular emphasis on the words that reveal the torture Jesus would experience beat, plucked, buffets, spitting. Insert small pauses after back, cheeks, face, and shield. The final section. The Lord God is my help. Therefore, I am not disgraced. I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame. This is an abrupt change from the tone of suffering in the previous section to here, where the servant, and therefore Jesus, is confident, unconquered, and unashamed. Reflect that in your facial expression and tone of voice. Make as much eye contact as you can muster or memorize to highlight these attributes. Stress God, therefore, the first knot, flint, knowing, and the second knot. Use a sharp voice when you say flint and brim with confidence when you say knowing. Insert a small pause after knowing. Well, that's all for now. Thanks for listening. My hope is these ideas will help you find your authentic voice so your proclamation of God's word will transform your listeners, whether they're in pain and broken or just going through the motions, because the good news deserves great delivery. Visit us on the web at bobtelector.org, and we'll see you at the Ambo. And by the way, if you like this podcast and are so inclined, please give us five stars on Apple Podcast. Thanks so much.