Good Friday

First Published: Friday, April 14, 2006

Good Friday of the Lords Passion
Readings for Good Friday

Reflection:

We are now deep into the Triduum. In real time, 2000 years ago, the Lord has already been before the Sanhedrin and mocked and slandered. Peter has already failed in his faithfulness, and even now the heavens hold their breath for what is about to happen.

To put our minds in the right framework, today we fast as well as abstain from meat. A small gift of faith to the Lord who, in a few short hours, we know is crucified for our salvation. At around noon we gather at our church to remember the events of that incredible day.

We first hear the Passion, this time from the Gospel of St. John. We can feel that story in our flesh as, once more we hear about what they (we) did to him. The movie that came our a few years ago gives may of us graphic images of the events as they unfold and we move toward grief at the injustice and the aloneness of the man, now raised high, not in adoration as was his due, but in cruel humiliation.

We have known of this great sacrifice from our earliest years. This story is one so familiar to us. Yet each year as we come off a long period of introspection in Lent, we find the story no less horrifying in its barbarity. It is made worse because we know THIS WAS FOR US!

We reverence the Cross, knowing that on that wood It was our Savior about which Isaiah said in the first reading:

"...it was our infirmities that he bore,
our sufferings that he endured,
while we thought of him as stricken,
as one smitten by God and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our offenses,
crushed for our sins;
upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole,
by his stripes we were healed."

Yes, we reverence that Cross, soaked in the blood of the Lamb of God. We reverence that Cross because He accepted its pain, humiliation, and suffering for us, so we might be able to come back to God and have life in Him. We reverence that Cross, knowing that we are called to accept it as well.

There will be no joyful announcement of the Passover today. Throughout the whole world, there will be no Eucharistic consecration, not today, while the world mourns the Messiah. We receive the sacramental grace of the Eucharist consecrated last night when we began this last part of the journey. We remember the finality of that beginning as the Blessed Sacrament left the church building in meek parody to our Savior being lead from the garden to his fate.

Today that Great Consolation gives us strength and breaks our fast. May it last us just a bit longer to the Easter of our Joy. Pax