"The Stations of the Cross"
'Tis Good Friday, act two of the Sacred Triduum, the Friday of Holy Week: Good Friday-link & Wikipedia-link Good Friday, & Wikipedia-link Sacred Triduum; Holy Week-link & Wikipedia-link Holy Week.
Liturgical Readings—Good Friday of the Lord's Passion
he Book of Isaiah, chapter fifty-two, verse thirteen thru chapter fifty-three, verse twelve;
Psalm Thirty-one, verses two & six, twelve & thirteen, fifteen & sixteen, & seventeen & twenty-five
(R/. the Gospel according to Luke, chapter twenty-three, verse forty-six);
The Letter to the Hebrews, chapter four, verses fourteen, fifteen, & sixteen & chapter fifteen, verses seven, eight, & nine;
The Gospel according to John, chapter eighteen, verse one thru chapter nineteen, verse forty-two.
Friends, our Gospel today is John’s great account of the Passion of Jesus. The ultimate good—God incarnate—appeared, and we collectively responded not with exultation but with murderous violence. On Calvary, the Author of Life was crucified and killed.Video reflection by Deacon Bernard Nojadera (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops): Triduum Reflection.
The Crucifixion is the fullest expression of the divine anger at sin. We are meant to see on that cross, not simply a violent display, but rather our own ugliness. What brought Jesus to the cross? Stupidity, anger, mistrust, institutional injustice, betrayal of friends, denial, unspeakable cruelty, scapegoating, and fear.
But in the brutality of the cross we also see the fullest expression of the divine solidarity with sinners. God himself has come to stand with us in our dysfunction and absorb into his forgiveness all of the deadly sins. Yes, we know, with disquieting certitude, that we are sinners. But with Paul, we willingly boast of our weakness, for we know with equal clarity that we are redeemed sinners.
Jesus’ Crucifixion was the opening up of the divine heart so that we could see that no sin of ours could finally separate us from the love of God.
Reflect: Why does the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross showcase the greatest love?
Video reflection by Doctor John Bergsma (St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology): Triduum Reflection.
Papal Quote o' the Day
"The journey also brings sacrifices, but these must not stop us. Jesus is on the Cross: you want to kiss Him? You cannot help bending over the Cross & letting yourself be pricked by some thorns of the crown that is on the Lord's head."Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day
—Pope Ven. John Paul I (1912-1978, r. 1978)
"Maybe there is a rich person who has no one to visit him; he has plenty of other things, he is nearly drowned in them, but there is not that touch & he needs your touch."Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)
"Jesus took upon Himself the scourging that would have been our due in order to save the creatures He formed & loved."
—St. Odo of Cluny (880-942, feast: 18 November)
"The fruit of this tree is not death but life, not darkness but light. This tree does not cast us out of paradise, but opens the way for our return."
—St. Theodore the Studite (759-826, feast: 12 November)
"Keep your eyes on the crucifix; for Jesus without the cross is a man without a mission, & the cross without Jesus is a burden without a reliever."
—Ven. Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
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