GOOD FRIDAY
REFLECTION: BY HIS STRIPES WE ARE SANCTIFIED.
FIRST READING: Isaiah 52:13-53;13
SECOND READING: Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
GOSPEL: John 18:1-19:42
But Jesus must have to die to save us. And this is what we commemorate today. There is thus this somber atmosphere of the Good Friday which need not to escape us. The entrance of the Priest and assisting ministers into the Church in complete silence, and the entire silent prostration of the altar which portrays both the abasement of “earthly man” and the grief and sorrow of the Universal Church. For us, Good Friday is a day mingled with sorrow and joy. A day set aside for us to grieve over the sin of man; but it is also a day that we meditate and rejoice upon God´s love in giving His Only Son for our own redemption.
In the First Reading, Isaiah sings of the fate of an unnamed Servant who was despised and rejected by men, wounded for our transgressions. The vicarious suffering of Christ was accepted by God who testifies for Him, even though He (God) it was who allowed his accusers to bruise him. In turn, the Gospel tells the tale of the last hour of Jesus, the individual who fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah to its fullest sense. He could have contented himself with verbal denial of human suffering and misery and its consequences. We could say, He would have been satisfied with only speaking against evil and injustice which would have enough for us all. But all these was not enough for Jesus, he still went the extra mile of putting His own life on the line.
Beloved in Christ, no doubt, the events of Good Friday was not very palatable for Jesus. For one thing, it marked the end of all His plans and programmes at least from the perspective of his disciples. In Matt 26:39, could god have granted Jesus´ prayer? Yes, because He is God. Did God grant Jesus ‘prayer? NO! for in the end He went ahead to drink that cup. But we may ask: why did God not grant the prayer of His Beloved Son? Because He has something else in mind, a greater cause, our collective salvation. Hence, had God granted the prayer of Jesus we would not have been saved nor the privilege of been here today to re-enact this wonderful event. So, in a way, the Cross was what was god for His mission unto human salvation. In the context, we see that genuine Christians are a “People of the Cross”. Let us not be tempted to conclude that the Cross is our entire religion. The Crucifixion is not the culmination of our religion. We look to the resurrection, that of Christ and ours too.
Today dear friends, we profess as Christians that God has been actively involved in the world and has been with humanity all along. We must believe that the Christian God is first and foremost the God of Love. In beholding the Cross of Jesus, we discover that we cannot run away from our own Good Friday moments, which can come in various forms. Such as sickness, separation, the death of a beloved, disappointments as well as the collapse of our old concepts of God. Such moments leave forlorn and hopeless. At such moments, it is consoling to know that Jesus stands by us and with us too no matter what it is that is crucifying us. Christ is there beside us; He journeys with us and helps us along the way. He gives us strength that we need to take the next step forward. For we have in Jesus a friend who understands our deepest fears and anxiety.
It is also a hope for those who find suffering incomprehensible and blame God, that Christ invites us (them) to show compassion on – to suffer with- others. You too must play a role in the sufferings of others like Jesus did for you. Know that to Jesus hanging on His Cross, your indifference may be more painful and less enduring than the cruelty and brutality of His executioners.
Rev. Fr. Vigilius Amanze msscc