SAIAH 52:13-53:12; PSALM 31; HEBREWS 4:14-16, 5:7-9; JOHN 18:1-19:42
In today’s reflection we shall be concerned with some basic questions and lessons:
What is Good Friday? Good Friday is the day we commemorates Jesus Christ’s Passion, crucifixion, and death. It is a mandatory day of fasting and abstinence. This is the day of the crucifixion, the day Jesus died for the sins of the world. Customarily, all Catholics are encouraged to participate in the stations of the cross today. Good Friday celebration is not a Mass; it is the service of the Lord’s passion. Good Friday is the only day of the year on which no Masses are offered. This service begins at 3 p.m., the hour that Jesus breathed his last on the cross. There are two more questions here:
Why is it called Good Friday? What is good about Good Friday? Some say Good Friday is “good” in that it is holy, or that the phrase is a corruption of “God’s Friday”. Thus, the Church meant to say God’s Friday not Good Friday. On the contrary, it is called Good Friday because it led to the Resurrection of Jesus, his victory over death and sin and the celebration of Easter, the very summit of Christian celebrations. The suffering and death of Jesus, as awful as they were, were the dramatic conclusion of God’s plan to deliver his people from their sin, therefore Good Friday is totally appropriate.
God permits evil in order to draw forth some greater good. In the Exsultet the cantor sings, ‘O happy fault,. . . which gained for us so great a Redeemer!’ It is a fault, but a happy one. The event was bad as in a (Bad Friday); but it brought about something good, so much so that it wiped away the tears of his death. And so, the Bible asked, “…O death, where is thy victory?” (1Cor.15:55). Christ’s death was the death of death. Christ was victorious over death. And so, the Friday before his resurrection was a good Friday. Genesis 50:20 says, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…”. Romans 8:28 says, “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
Why is there no mass today? Today is the only day mass is not celebrated in the Catholic Church as the Church mourns the death of our Savior in fasting and prayer. Instead of the mass the Church celebrates the Lord’s passion.. This celebration begins with a silent procession to the sanctuary, and ends with a silent movement to the Sacristy. The silence reminds us of the importance of day, the painful death and the humiliation and suffering of Jesus Christ. No Mass, as we re-live the emotions of this great lost. (Na who dey alive, dey say mass).
How do we relive these emotions? This question brings us to the three parts of today’s liturgy. We relive this lost in the following ways: 1. The Liturgy of the Word (Passion narrative and prayers of intercession) 2. The Veneration of the Cross 3. The service of Holy Communion.
- The Liturgy of the Word: This consists of the clergy and assisting ministers entering in complete silence, without any singing. They then silently make a full prostration. This signifies the abasement (the fall) of (earthly) humans. It also symbolizes the grief and sorrow of the Church. Then follows the Collect prayer, and the reading or chanting of Isaiah 52:13–53:12, Hebrews 4:14–16, Hebrews 5:7–9, and the Passion account from the Gospel of John, usually read by the celebrant and two other readers; thereafter, the Great Intercessions also known as orationes sollemnes consists of a series of prayers for the Church, the Pope, the clergy and laity of the Church, those preparing for baptism, the unity of Christians, the Jews, those who do not believe in Christ, those who do not believe in God, those in public office, and those in special need. After each prayer intention, the priest or deacon calls the faithful to kneel for a short period of private prayer; the celebrant then sums up the prayer intention with a Collect-style prayer.
- The Adoration of the Cross (a crucifix), not necessarily the one that is normally on or near the altar at other times of the year, solemnly unveiled and displayed to the congregation, and then venerated by them, individually if possible and usually by kissing the wood of the cross, while hymns and the Improperia (“Reproaches”) with the Trisagion hymn are chanted.
- The service of Holy Communion: Holy Communion is administered according to the final rite of the final part of Mass, beginning with the Lord’s Prayer, but omitting the ceremony of “Breaking of the Bread” and its related acclamation, the Agnus Dei. The Eucharist, consecrated at the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, is distributed at this service. The priest and people then depart in silence, and the altar cloth is removed, leaving the altar bare except for the crucifix and two or four candlesticks.
We are not to gather for this celebration like spectators but as active participants. They are not mere routines; they carry so much spiritual relevance and graces. And so, we are called to relive the emotions of Christ’s passion and death in order for us to understand and appreciate better our salvation history.
WHAT OTHERS LESSONS CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS DAY?
Trust in the Lord: Isaiah in our first reading speaks of the Suffering Servant, who suffered and died for our sake. This suffering servant is Jesus Christ. Isaiah 53:4-5, the servant suffers because of “our” iniquities, “our” sickness, but by His wounds we were healed. Thus, God vindicated him and gave him a name above every name. So that at the mention of that name every kneel must bow (Phil.2:9). God vindicated him because though he was God he did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped. Again, He trusted in the Lord amidst suffering and pains. How many of us can still trust in the midst of pains and suffering? Like the Psalmist of today let us learn to say; “In you, O Lord, I take refuge. Let me never be put to shame. In your justice, set me free, Into your hands I commend my spirit”. Beloved, do not be discouraged because of the trials you are going through. Commit your dealings to the Lord and He shall save you.
Know Your Purpose in life: The passion narrative we just read was taken from St John’s gospel; it is different from the narrative we read on Palm Sunday because it focuses more on the kingship of Jesus. This kingship has been an argument all along. When he was born Herod wanted to kill him because he heard a king has been born (Matt.2:16). Yet as an adult he kept on telling them in John 18:36, I paraphrase “calm down; calm down my kingship is not of this wolrd” Yet they wouldn’t listen. It was for that same reason he was killed (Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews). Be careful with kingship and tittles of this world. The reason they attack you at birth is destiny; they will still come after you even when you have grown; do not be afraid, fulfill your destiny. Jesus said to him “for this I was born….” (John 18:37). Herod and Pilate are no longer on the throne but Jesus is still on the throne.
“It is finished!“ (John 19:30) Tetelestai is in the perfect tense in Greek. The perfect tense speaks of an action which has been completed in the past with results continuing into the present. It’s different from the simple tenses which consist of the present, the past, and the future. The perfect tenses are the present perfect, the past perfect, and the future perfect. When Jesus cried out “It is finished,” he meant It was finished in the past, it is still finished in the present, and it will remain finished in the future. That is why the sacrifice of the Mass we offer is not a repetition but a reenactment. If you need water you can dig a bole hole when you want to drink water just fetched from the Bole hole you don’t have to dig a new one every time you want to drink water. Heb 10:12 says Christ, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God. So, the Mass is one and the same sacrifice with that of Jesus on the cross. Again, “it is finished”, Jesus did not say, “I am finished,” for that would imply that he died defeated and exhausted. Rather, he cried out “It is finished,” meaning “I successfully completed the work I came to do.” By his power you too will complete your task here on earth; as for that sickness, and sorrow it is finished, do not say “I am finished”.
The Mockery: Matt. 27:42 “He saved others; He cannot save Himself.” The cross is a symbol of mockery; a symbol of violence and peace, lies and truth, hatred and love. You may be in a situation where your ideas and gifts work for others but do not work for you; do not be discouraged, do not worry when they mock you; he who laughs last, laughs best. Micah 7:8 says; rejoice not over me, oh my enemy for if I fall I shall arise, when I sit in darkness the Lord shall be my light. Three days later Jesus rose. Again, the soldiers who mocked and spat on Christ had no idea who He really was. Respect people especially if you don’t know who they are.
The Betrayal: Judas had betrayed Jesus yet was sitting on the same dining table with him. Your worst enemy is always closer than you’ve ever imagined. Matt.10:36 your worst enemies are the members of your own family. Judas accepted thirty silver pieces to hand Jesus over to the Jewish authorities. Betrayal is the violation of a person’s trust or confidence. It comes from those you relate with. David was no stranger to betrayal: “If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God” (Psalm 55:12-14). Even my own familiar friend, in whom I put my confidence and who consumed my bread, has turned on me. (Psalm 41:9; John 13:18). The closer the relationship, the greater the pain of betrayal. We betray friends because of excessive ambition, envy, greed or or hatred. There are those who still accept money only to offer their friends or relatives to bandits or kidnappers. Are there no husbands who betray their partner? Or wives who betray their husbands?
The Great Denial: Peter, one of Christ’s closest disciples, denied Him three times! (Until hard times come, you may not know your close friends.) Some of us have been denied certain benefits courtesy of our friends; some have been relegated because a friend represented falsely. Don’t we even deny Jesus today? When we seek other gods; what are we saying to onlookers?
The False Veneration: Still at Jerusalem, the same crowd but different tunes. St. Bernard of Clairvaux in his homily says; “How different the cries, ‘Away with him, away with him, crucify him,’ and then, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, hosanna, in the highest!’ They called him ‘King of Israel’ and few days later ‘We have no king but Caesar!’ They offered their own clothes for him to walk upon, soon afterwards they stripped him of his garment. What a contrast between the green branches and the cross, between the flowers and the thorns! Beloved, we are like this crowd oftentimes. We say one thing today and do another tomorrow. It goes to show our insincerity and faithlessness. Some of us we venerate the cross today but with our minds absent. Lastly, this contrast goes to show the ups and downs of life. Do not be carried away by praises; when the going gets tough, keep going and you will be victorious. The same people he fed, restored and healed opted for the hardened criminal. In life, people have short memory. Not everyone will remember the good you did. Be good anyways.
The Wounded Healer: Even on the cross, He was inviting a thief into Paradise. He did the first canonization. Do not take vengeance; don’t mark people’s guilt, don’t hate because you are hated, in your worst moments give people hope. And to the man who stabbed him, he opened his eyes. He is the Wounded Healer. Even in your sick bed; you can still let go of hurt and heal families and our world.
Avoid partial judgment: Along with two other thieves, Jesus was crucified. it appeared to be three thieves on a cross. Avoid passing judgment. Victims of circumstance are included among convicts. Not all pregnant single women fornicated; Ask Blessed Virgin Mary, how? Not everyone who is dangling from a cross is a criminal!
Endurance: He was crucified on Friday. On Sunday, He rose from the dead. We would have endured a little bit more if we had known that our good days were not that far from the awful ones. Be tolerant and endure. Your Sunday is coming! Luke 21:19 “By your endurance you will gain your lives.”
God Bless you!
Fr. Daniel Evbotokhai
