“Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will” (Psalm 40).
The words of today’s Responsorial Psalm are not only our words but also Jesus’ words as we will hear later in Hebrews (10:7-8). The obedience and humility of Jesus is quite startling when you reflect on it. Jesus is the Son of God, the Second person of the Trinity and equal to the Father. Yet Jesus comes to do the will of God the Father. Jesus comes in humility and service not demanding to be served as He himself tells us: “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Jesus even performs the humble and menial task of washing the feet of his disciples as an example to them and to all of us: “If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do” (John 13:14-15).
Jesus submits Himself to His Father’s will in the Garden as He echoes the words of the Our Father: “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). As Jesus’ followers and disciples, we too strive each day to submit to the Father’s will as we pray the Our Father: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10).
Jesus shows us the way to do God’s will. It is the way of humility, sacrifice, and service. So, we pray to God today and each day: “Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.”