On Good Friday we observe the commemoration of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
The church marks today’s services with simplicity, a simplicity which eloquently proclaim the sufferings and death of Jesus. At the same time the Church invites us to sorrow and repentance for our sins that caused the death of our Lord. The services also have an overall note of gratitude and joy at the overwhelming proof of Christ’s love for each human being. Jesus loved us unto the death of the cross.
The Gospel message of the day reminds us that Jesus’ death on the cross is his moment of victory. As he hung there bleeding and dying, he was defeating Satan, and emptying sin of all its power. At first we notice only the pain and not the triumph.
On this day God is asking us to look closely at the cross and see the full picture. He wants us to see the life that flowed from Jesus’ death, the healing that came from his wounds and the triumph that came from his defeat; above all his love for us.
Today the church invites us to think of how Jesus embraced the cross, a brutal instrument of torture and transformed it into a symbol of forgiveness. We also know that cross is no longer just a symbol but a grace-filled instrument of mercy and divine power. In his agony Jesus brought us everlasting joy; in his loneliness and rejection he made us all brothers and sisters. In his torments Jesus healed the wounds of sin and broke the grip of death on each of us.
Let us look at the cross today and see the through the suffering to the victory that is won. Then when we are visited by the rain of sufferings, we will be able to look beyond the hardship of the moment and see the joy waiting for us. Let the message of the cross, of the hidden victory transform our lives.
Let us whisper a prayer for those in pain; for the victims of war and violence specially the people of Ukraine.
Courtesy
Daughters of St Paul