today's other readings are Psalm 34 and John 7: 1-2, 10, 25-30
Our 1st reading today comes from the Book of Wisdom, which was written around 100 B.C., by an unknown member of the Jewish community living in Alexandria, Egypt.
In this passage we read of a righteous person whose works and life are despised by the "ungodly", which would include all those in power who do all they can to ensure that their comfortable lives remain safe and undisturbed.
They have plans for this righteous man - they will test him with insult and torture, put him on trial and condemn him to a shameful death. And they figure this will solve their problem.
But as our author states, their plans will be exposed, and their wickedness will lead to their ruin, as God's goodness will have the final say.
Of course the righteous person that comes to mind is Jesus Christ, who will be subjected to all of the above trials about 130 years after this book was written.
This poignant reading is one of the countless prophecies and writings of the Old Testament which point to Our Saviour, and the contents is a wonderful lead up to our observance of Holy Week starting in the evening of Saturday, April 1st.