Yesterday we moved ahead a bit in chapter 12 (Mt 12:14-21) to come to hear of the Pharisees’ plot to put Jesus to death.  Jesus becomes aware of this and gets out of town, but heals those who pursue Him asking them not to publicize their newly acquired wholeness.  The passage ends with a long prophecy from Isaiah (42:1-4) — from which the headline is taken — in which the prophet foretells of a meek man who brings justice and hope in the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles.  The Old Testament words here are of the Father to the Son.  But they should be our words to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Further on in Isaiah we here this: “I will rejoice heartily in the LORD, my being exults in my God; for he has clothed me with garments of salvation, and wrapped me in a robe of justice, like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem, as a bride adorns herself with her jewels” (Is 61:10).  These words recall Mary’s Magnificat (Lk 1:46-55) and Zechariah’s Benedictus (Lk 1:67-79).  Imagine the joy that overwhelmed the hearts of the prophet, the mother of God, and the father of John the Baptist that led them to utter these sentiments!  These things they said were meant for the world to hear, and so they have been for thousands of years as canonized in the Bible.  Don’t hesitate to tell others of the reason for your joy (cf. 1 Pt 3;15) and make sure to live the example of that joy so that others will see its authenticity and desire to have it (and ultimately, the source of it).