Introduction:
As you journey along with the Lord Jesus and re-live His passion and death,
may you be touched by the love and forgiveness that flow from Him, and continues
to touch our lives.
This is
Good Friday. It is GOD Friday. This is the day when earth and heaven are inexplicably
joined together. We experience the love that led to Jesus’ giving totally of Himself
in His human body so that we could be united with His Abba-Father
and the Holy Spirit. It is a Good Day to spend time reflecting.
First Reading: Isaiah 52:13-53:12
The servant of the Lord, an expiatory Sacrifice
Commentary:
These
four poems occur in the second part of the Book of Isaiah pronounced by the
prophet in the last days of the Babylonian Exile, a time which was vital for
the consolidation and re-formation of Israel. They seem to hang together and
form a body somewhat, but not entirely, separate from the rest of the prophecy.
The fourth
Song continues and intensifies the theme of suffering; many details of it are
fulfilled in the story of the Passion of Jesus, to the extent that it seems
that the Passion Narrative itself was even composed with this Song in mind.
Who, then,
is this Servant? In its primary meaning it has been understood as the prophet
himself, reflecting on his own experiences as God’s messenger to Israel, though
the difficulty here is that, as well as having a mission to Israel, he is
identified as part of Israel. Is that identification in the second Song a later
addition? The sufferings described in other Songs must be personal. Perhaps it
is the prophet precisely as identified with Israel. Should a further extension
of the meaning be understood as the long-term suffering of the People of God in
witnessing to the values of Judaism? Certainly, Christianity sees the
prophecies to be fulfilled in the mission and sufferings of Jesus.
Responsorial Psalm 31:2,6,12-13,15-17,25
Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
The psalm
for today shows the complete dependence on GOD for the one who is rejected by
people. Jesus quotes part of this psalm as He is dying on the cross: “Into your
hands, I commend my spirit.” This is the prayer of abandonment and surrender.
Jesus hands over everything to His Abba-Father in the final and total act of
submission to the divine will. In doing so, Jesus hands us over to His Abba,
thus bringing us into a closer relationship with His Abba.
Second Reading: Hebrews 4:14-16,5:7-9
The Lord burdened him with the sins of all of us
Commentary:
The
Letter to the Hebrews contrasts the supreme High Priest with the transient high
priests of Judaism. In order to bring humanity to perfection Jesus had to share
completely in our humanity. He was ‘tempted in every way that we are’, sexual
temptations, temptations to anger, to intolerance, to cut people down to size.
He was ‘capable of feeling our weaknesses’, fear, frustration, laziness, and boredom.
In the gospels few of these are mentioned: his exhaustion at the well in
Samaria, and his grief at the death of his friend Lazarus. But, as he had a
very human personality, he must have suffered the fears and incomprehension of
childhood, the frustrations of adolescence, as well as the more complex
troubles and sorrows of adulthood, not to mention the unremitting opposition of
those who rejected him – all under the overarching passion for his Father
and his Kingship. All this would have enriched his personality still further
until he offered the whole of his humanity in obedience to his Father’s
designs. Just as martyrdom is the crown of a life of Christian fidelity, so
Jesus’ final sacrifice was the crown of a life of love, obedience, and
generosity.
In this
passage, the author prepares us for the coming celebration of the Passion by
reflecting on the double aspect of the human fear and pain of Jesus, and his
complete, loving obedience. It says his prayer was heard. What prayer? Not the
prayer to be spared death, for that prayer was not heard. Rather the deeper
prayer, the prayer which was at the heart of his burning desire to establish
the kinship of God in human hearts, bringing peace between heaven and earth by
his perfect obedience. How then did he ‘learn obedience through suffering’? The
secret of the Cross of Jesus is that here he reached the perfect obedience to
his Father, giving everything to his Father’s will. His whole life and ministry
had been devoted to the Father’s will, to establishing the Father’s kingship on
earth. Now it reaches its highest point. His perfect obedience overrode and
expunged the disobedience of Adam, that is, the archetypal disobedience of the
whole human race. So, by accepting defeat, pain, and humiliation he obtained
for himself and for all victory, bliss, and exaltation to glory.
Gospel: John 18:1-19:42
The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ
Commentary:
John’s
narrative of the Passion is different from that of the synoptic Gospels in
important respects. Some of these differences are matters of emphasis, others
spring from a set of different facts. After Caiaphas’s decision no Jewish trial
scene before the high priest, no meeting of a Sanhedrin to prepare a charge to
put before Pilate, was necessary. Instead, John gives an interrogation before
Annas, the ex-high priest and father-in-law of Caiaphas. The trial before
Pilate may well be built on the same incident as that of the Synoptics, but in
John, it is highly elaborated for theological reasons.
The
Johannine account is not the story of a condemned criminal being dragged to the
disgraceful and tortured death reserved for slaves. Jesus is the majestic king,
who proceeds royally to his triumph in death. There is no painful prayer for
release in Gethsemane. From the beginning, it is stressed that Jesus is fully
aware of what is to happen. Before he can be arrested his captors repeatedly
fall to the ground in an involuntary gesture of reverence at Jesus’s
pronouncement of the divine name, “I am”. Jesus commands them to let his
followers go and is taken only when he gives the word (18:11). The humiliating
elements of the other accounts, such as buffeting, spitting and the challenge
to prophesy, have disappeared. Jesus is emphatically declared king in the three
great world languages by the very man who condemns him to death (19:20-22).
John even notes that the proclamation was publicly acknowledged by “many of the
Jews”. Not only is Jesus king; he continues his role as revealer and judge as
well. In the interview with Annas, it is Jesus who challenges and questions the
high priest, reiterating his own teaching which he has given for all the world
to hear. Similarly at the trial before Pilate, Jesus questions the governor and
shows his control, until Pilate collapses with the feeble evasion, “What is
truth?” – a humiliating self-condemnation in this gospel of truth. The judgment
reaches its climax when the Jewish leaders, in a formal and balanced scene,
condemn themselves before Jesus: he is enthroned on the judgment seat as judge
and crowned – with thorns – as king, still wearing the royal purple
robe of his mockery, while they deny the very existence of Judaism by
declaring, “We have no king but Caesar” (19:15). If the God of Israel is not
universal king, then Israel has no point or purpose.
The final
scene has special significance. Jesus carries his own cross, unaided, and is
enthroned on it – no agonizing details of nailing and hoisting –
between two attendants. There is no final psalm quotation of seeming despair
(as in Mark and Matthew) or of resignation (as in Luke), no wordless “great
cry” as Jesus expires. In John Jesus prepares the community of the future. In
contrast to the other Gospels, Mary, and the Beloved Disciple stand at the foot
of the cross and are entrusted to each other’s care to constitute the first
Christian community, the woman and the man, the mother, and the ideal disciple.
This is cemented by the gift of the Spirit, as Jesus – with typical
Johannine ambiguity – “gave over his spirit”. Does this mean “breathed his
last” or “gave them the Holy Spirit”? Only then does Jesus consent to die, with
the words, “It is fulfilled”
Reflection: Who can
bear to look upon the bloodied cross where Jesus hung without shame or
sorrowful grief, disbelief, or reverent awe? The cross brings us face to face
with Jesus' suffering. He was alone - all his disciples had deserted him except
for his mother and three women along with John, the beloved disciple. And his
death was agonizing and humiliating. Normally a crucified man could last for
several days on a cross. Jesus had already been scourged, beaten with rods, and
a crown of thorns pressed into his skull. It is no wonder that he died
mid-afternoon. Pilate publicly heralded Jesus "The King of the Jews"
as he died upon the cross, no doubt to irritate and annoy the chief priests and
Pharisees (John 19:19).
The
King who ransoms us with his own life: Jesus was crucified for his claim to
be King. The Jews had understood that the Messiah would come as their king to
establish God's reign for them. They wanted a king who would free them from
tyranny and foreign domination. Many had high hopes that Jesus would be the
Messianic king. Little did they understand what kind of kingship Jesus claimed
to have. Jesus came to conquer hearts and souls for an imperishable kingdom,
rather than to conquer perishable lands and entitlements.
Jesus'
death on the cross defeated sin and death for us: We can
find no greater proof of God's love for us than the willing sacrifice of his
Son on the cross. Jesus' parting words, "It is finished!" express
triumph rather than defeat. Jesus bowed his head and gave up his spirit knowing
that the strife was now over, and the battle was won. Even on the cross, Jesus
knew the joy of victory. What the Father sent him into the world to do has now
been accomplished. Christ offered himself without blemish to God and he put
away sin by the sacrifice of himself (see Hebrews 9:24-26).
As
we gaze at his wounds - we touch the scars of his resurrection: While the
close company of Jesus' disciples - his apostles - had deserted him and hid out
of fear from the Jewish authorities, Jesus' mother and some of the women who
were close to Jesus stood close to him while he hung upon the cross. Augustine
of Hippo (354-430 A.D) in his sermon on John's passion account focuses on the
gaze of the women who witnessed the shedding of his blood and the offering of
his life as the atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world.
"As
they were looking on, so we too gaze on his wounds as he hangs. We see his
blood as he dies. We see the price offered by the redeemer, touch the scars of his
resurrection. He bows his head as if to kiss you. His heart is made bare open,
as it were, in love to you. His arms are extended so that he may embrace you.
His whole body is displayed for your redemption. Ponder how great these things
are. Let all this be rightly weighed in your mind: as he was once fixed to the
cross in every part of his body for you, so he may now be fixed in every part
of your soul." (GMI 248)
Augustine
invites us to present ourselves before Jesus crucified who took our sins upon
himself and nailed them to the cross. Through the eyes of faith, we, too, gaze
upon the bloodied body of our Redeemer who paid the price for our sins - and we
touch the scars of his resurrection who defeated death for our sake so that we
may know the victory of his cross and resurrection and receive the promise of
everlasting life and glory with him in his kingdom.
The
miracle of my salvation: In the cross of Christ, we see the triumph of
Jesus over his enemies - sin, Satan, and death. Many Christians down through
the centuries have sung the praises of the Cross of Christ. Paul the Apostle
exclaimed, "But far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ" (Galatians 6:14).
Hear what
Gregory Nazianzen (329-389 AD), an early church father and bishop of
Constantinople, wrote about the triumph of Christ's exaltation on the cross:
"Many
indeed are the wondrous happenings of that time: God hanging from a cross, the
sun made dark and again flaming out (Luke 23:44, Mark 15:33); for it was
fitting that creation should mourn with its creator. The temple veil rent
(Matthew 27:51), blood and water flowing from his side (John 19:34): the one as
from a man, the other as from what was above man; the earth shaken, the rocks
shattered because of the rock (Matthew 27:51); the dead risen to bear witness
to the final and universal resurrection of the dead (Matthew 27:52). The
happenings at the sepulchre and after the sepulchre, who can fittingly recount
them? Yet no one of them can be compared to the miracle of my salvation. A few
drops of blood renew the whole world and do for all men what the rennet does
for the milk: joining us and binding us together. (On the Holy Pasch, Oration
45.1)
Rupert
of Deutz (1075-1129), a Benedictine abbot and theologian, wrote: "The
cross of Christ is the door to heaven, the key to paradise, the downfall of the
devil, the uplifting of mankind, the consolation of our imprisonment, the prize
for our freedom."
The
throne of love and a sign of God's mercy: The Cross of Christ is the safeguard
of our faith, the assurance of our hope, and the throne of love. It is also the
sign of God's mercy and the proof of forgiveness. By his cross Jesus Christ has
pardoned us and set us free from the tyranny of sin. He paid the price for us
when he made atonement for our sins. The way to peace, joy, and righteousness
in the kingdom of God and the way to victory over sin and corruption, fear and
defeat, despair and death is through the cross of Jesus Christ. Do you follow
the Lord Jesus in his way of the cross with joy, hope, and confidence?
Lord Jesus
Christ, by your death on the cross you have won pardon for us and freedom from
the tyranny of sin and death. May I live in the joy and freedom of your victory
over sin and death.
Daily
Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Christ
nailed our weakness to the cross, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"As
evening drew near, the Lord yielded up His soul upon the cross in the certainty
of receiving it back again. It was not wrested from Him against His will. But
we too were represented there. Christ had nothing to hang upon the cross except
the body He had received from us. And in doing so He nailed our human weakness
to the cross." (excerpt from Commentary on Psalm 140,5)
NO
REST FOR THE WICKED: “Judas took the cohort as well as guards
supplied by the chief priests and the Pharisees, and came there with lanterns,
torches, and weapons.” —John 18:3
The only
apostle wide awake on Holy Thursday night, sadly, was Judas Iscariot, who
betrayed Jesus (Jn 18:3). All the other apostles with Jesus during His agony in
the garden were sound asleep and could not keep their eyes open (Lk 22:45).
Jesus said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Wake up, and pray that you may not
be subjected to the trial” (Lk 22:46). But they were sound asleep, even while
the cohort of several hundred soldiers approached the garden unnoticed by all
except Jesus. He knew they were coming to arrest Him but refused to flee from
the extreme danger for love of us all. Meanwhile, Judas was wide awake, but in
opposition to Jesus, not in service of Him.
How would
a journalist record our own activity in this Triduum? Are we asleep or unable
to keep our eyes open and fixed on Jesus? (cf Heb 3:1) Are we keeping our eyes
open, looking for an opportunity to sin or to betray Jesus? Or are we part of
the crowd, oblivious to Jesus’ sufferings on our behalf?
Though
Jesus had three times warned the apostles of His upcoming arrest (Mt 16:21;
17:22-23; 20:17-19), they were unprepared when the soldiers appeared in the garden.
Those against Jesus were wide awake and on the job. Those for Jesus, by
comparison, were asleep or sluggish. No wonder Jesus told parables about His
servants needing to always be ready, vigilant, and alert! “The moral is: keep
your eyes open, for you know not the day or the hour” (Mt 25:13).
Prayer: Lord, help us to be alert and
prepared, always ready to open when You knock on the door of our hearts (Mt
25:6; Rev 3:20). “By His stripes, we were healed.” —Is 53:5.
The personal
question for today: How does my reflecting on the death of Jesus make me
feel? Do I have any new insights into the importance of Jesus’ death? How can I
make the reality of the salvific relationship that I have with the Lord Jesus more
alive in my relationships with others?