GOOD FRIDAY
On this day in the liturgy we read St. Johns account of the passion, we pray for the needs of the Church and the world, we venerate the Cross and we receive the blessed Eucharist. In the First Reading we listen to A prophetic passage from the Hebrew Bible that describes the suffering of a righteous servant who is despised and rejected by many but ultimately bears their sins and brings healing through his sacrifice. The passage is often interpreted as a foreshadowing of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and is considered a central text in Christian theology. In the Second Reading we hear that Jesus is the ultimate high priest who sympathizes with human weakness and has made a perfect sacrifice for sin, thus providing a way for humanity to approach God with confidence. The passage urges all of us to hold fast to our faith in Jesus, who has been appointed by God as the source of eternal salvation.
In the Gospel reading Jesus, after being betrayed by Judas, was arrested and faced trials before Jewish and Roman leaders, culminating in his crucifixion. Despite Pilate’s hesitation, pressured by Jewish authorities and a manipulated crowd, he consented to Jesus’ death. Jesus was crucified at Golgotha alongside two others. Before his death, he ensured care for his mother and declared his mission fulfilled. His side was pierced, verifying his death. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus buried Jesus in a new tomb, marking the preparation day’s urgency. When we think about the death of Jesus on the cross, his death was a result of the courage of his convictions. He lived his life with a message of compassion and love, Jesus was often critical of those who lorded it over those who were less well off or who had little or even nothing at all. The cross of Good Friday that we venerate is a sign and a symbol that all of us recognise, it is a sign of the completeness of the love that God has for each one of us faults with all faults and failings included. It is not accidental that the Passion according to John is always read on this day. This account shows Jesus always in charge, in total command of his situation.
John’s Passion is an extended commentary on an earlier statement of Jesus found in John 10:17-18: “I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” The focus of the liturgy of Good Friday, is not primarily a meditation on Jesus’ pain, nor on our sinfulness, nor on our imitation of Jesus’ humility on their own. Rather the focus is a reminder to us that we are beneficiaries of this event, and so we call the Friday “Good” by thanking God for what God has done for us in Jesus his son. The final words of Jesus from the cross say it all for us, “Is is accomplished!” Jesus is not overcome. On the contrary! He has overcome! When we go up to venerate the cross on Good Friday we should allow the cross to move us to be better people. Consoling, comforting and challenging the people we meet with the values of Jesus and the Cross.
Fullerton T 