Resilience in the Quiet

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, March 29th, 2026:
Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord

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Isaiah
50.4-7

​The servant of the Lord said: “The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning he wakens — wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught.

“The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward.

“I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting.

“The Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.”

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Old Testament readings are heavy for me. Written in the time before Jesus, I find the readings focus so much on pain, frustration, and cruelty. It hurts to learn how lost and broken people of that time were – how they damaged and humiliated each other physically and emotionally.

God was there, of course; He always is. He kept trying to show them how to behave in His image – to find and cultivate in their own hearts the true purpose for which He created us. His plan was always for us to love Him and one another. Just that. Such a simple plan.

In loving God, we are called to listen to Him, to speak His name, and to rely on Him in the face of adversity. In loving one another we are meant to learn how to forgive each other. Back then, in the time of Isaiah, people were cruel to those who listened, spoke, and lived to serve Him; it was torture and discrimination at their worst. I wonder how common it was to speak of forgiveness. It seemed these were dark times for those who believed in God.

I am grateful and fortunate to not have had the experience of being ostracized or being attacked and shamed for professing my faith. I am open to talking about my love for Jesus and my conversion. For those who believe, there is resilience provided by God, still.

I am currently in a season of needing the most help from God. I do not believe it is a coincidence, but rather Divine Providence, that this is the scripture I have been assigned to reflect on. I am listening for Him, praying out my frustrations, weakness, and mental weight to Him. In my recovery, I am not blaming my history, family of origin traumas, or the people in my life who did not know better. I am fully resting in Jesus' teaching of God's word, knowing He provides the safe place for healing – His Heart – and from there I can face anything. Leaning on God has become the backbone of my recovery. In His heart, He is forever there to help believers through all life’s hardships.




​Jacinda Whebby

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