BY YOUR CROSS LORD, YOU HAVE REDEEMED THE WORLD(Isaiah 52:13-53:12/Psalm 31:2,6,12-13,15-17,25/Hebrews 4:14-16;5:7-9/John 18:1-19:42)

BY YOUR CROSS LORD, YOU HAVE REDEEMED THE WORLD

(Friday, April 19, 2019 GOOD FRIDAY/PASSION OF THE LORD)

Today is another great day in the history of human salvation. What would have become of us had it been that after celebrating the birthday of Jesus Christ on Christmas day, we did not have something like Good Friday, I doubt whether anything about Easter day will cross our lips. The birth of Christ indeed points straight to the day of His Death which will eventually give rise to His Resurrection. It is because we have Good Friday that we have the Easter day which is indeed the foundation of our Christian faith. Today suppose not to be a day of many words but a day of sober reflection on the Passion and Death of Christ, meditation on the Love of God to humanity as well as Christ's obedience unto death, even death on a cross.

The Cross is the principal symbol of Christianity and this is so because it reminds the world of the sacrificial love of Christ which He expressed to humankind through his passion and death. “As for us, we proclaim the crucified Christ,” says St. Paul (1 Corinthians 1:23). In addition, Paul says, “the message about Christ’s death on the cross is nonsense to those who are being lost; but for those who are being saved it is God’s power” (1 Corinthians 1:18). Paul addressed this message to the Jews who see the cross as a burden for criminals and suffering as punishment for sinners (Deuteronomy 21:20-23). Therefore, they think it is out of place to believe in someone who is crucified. On the other hand, the Greeks who were renowned thinkers and philosophers of the time saw the cross as a sign of foolishness. In all their knowledge they could not understand how God uses ‘foolish things’ to express His greatness.

The cross has a message for all believers today as it gives meaning to the trials and troubles in the world, and for standing as a symbol of love as well as a symbol of victory. The second chapter of the book of Sirach admonishes those who wish to serve the Lord to be prepared for temptations (Sir 2:1). Trials are an inevitable path towards the attainment of salvation and victory. Jesus emphasized this fact clearly to His followers when He says, “If anyone wants to come with me, he must forget self, carry his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). The cross brings to memory the sacrificial love of the one who hangs there. It is a clear proof of his love, that He laid down His life for us, and challenges us to do the same for our brothers and sisters (John 15:13; 1 John 3:16). The early Fathers of the Church interpret the four cardinal points of the cross as symbols of the love of Christ. According to them, the vertical points signify the height and depth of His love, the horizontal points expressing the width and breadth g that love.

The message of the cross is a paradox because it seems to contradict itself, but in the contradiction itself is found an inherent truth (death bringing forth new life). This shows how that which is negative turns to be positive. Likewise, suffering and pain can bring about unimaginable blessings for those who accept both in faith and focus on God. It is within this context that we can understand why the tree of death has turned into a life-giving tree. In the very beginning, a tree brought about the fall of Adam, but in the new dispensation, a tree has brought about the glory of the new Adam, namely Christ. This is so because by His Cross He has redeemed the world. It speaks eloquently about the temporal victory of evil over what is good.

The Apostles saw in the cross the secret of their success and that is why St. Paul an outstanding theologian when it comes to the theology of the Cross exclaims, “As for me, however, I will boast only about the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14). When we stand at the foot of the cross with Mary and St. John, I believe that all of us are aware to some degree of our sins. Those sins have put Jesus on the cross; He is suffering on our behalf. But we are not just aware of our faults. We recognize something much more important - the Divine Mercy. Standing before the cross, we realize that the Divine Mercy is like an ocean - an ocean that absorbs all of our pollution and corruption. Let us dear brothers and sisters avail ourselves the opportunity of participating actively in the mystery of today's celebration, the second day within the Easter Triduum so much important that the Church in her wisdom calls this day Good Friday to show how significant it is in our lives as Christians.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, give me grace to remain steadfast in following you as you laid down your life to save me. May your name be glorified. Amen.