Good Friday2021 First Reading: Isaiah 52:13-53:12 Ps. 31:2 and 6.12-13.15-16.17 and 25 Second Reading: 31 Hebrew 4:14-16;5:7-9 Gospel: Jn 10: 31-42.
Today is Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion and we are remembering the death of Jesus, the Word made flesh, on the cross. This Friday is good because our redemption is finally accomplished. Heaven is opened for us. The dying words of Jesus were, “It is accomplished” “Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” This was the crucial moment that links us all with the divine mercy of God.
As we gaze upon the crucifix in our today’s online service, let us ask ourselves what it means for us. What is our response to Jesus’ offer of salvation? Contemplating Jesus on the cross brings comfort and resilience and strength to all who need it. And it reminds us that it is through his suffering that everyone and everything is redeemed, that the power and the presence and promise of God are now accessible to us in our suffering and in our need. Contemplating Jesus on the Cross also reminds us that in our present frail and redeemed bodies we carry the saving power of God. We may not have a chance to Kiss the crucifix in the church, but one can take his Crucifix and kiss it as He/she follows the service online.
We do this not for God’s sake but for our own as we remember with gratitude Jesus’ personal love for us. We respond to this love by living a good life that overflows into the love of others, especially the ‘little ones.’”
In our contemplation of Jesus on the cross, let us remember those who experience pain and desolation in whatever form, all those who like Mary stand at the foot of the cross, all those with similar complexity of emotions that were present on Calvary: the same confusion, the same disillusionment, the same desolation, the same anger, the same reproach. Let us pray for those who, in different ways, feel that God has deserted them. May they experience the consolation of God in their suffering.
Amen.
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