by Bishop Guy Sansaricq
Isaiah 50, 4-7, Psalm 22; Philippians 2, 6-11; Matthew 26, 14- 27, 54
The entire account of the passion and death of Jesus is read today in Church with all its gory details. It begins with the last supper and then the agony in the Garden, the arrest, the denial of Peter, the judgment in the Jewish Court followed by that of the Roman Governor, the scourging and the crowning of thorns, the condemnation to death, the way to Calvary, the crucifixion, the death and the burial.
The story is upsetting and we keep asking ourselves “But why? Why such horrible fate inflicted upon an innocent man? Love is the answer proposed in the readings of the day as well as in the psalm.
The first reading speaks about a man with a well speaking tongue who came to rouse the lowly and speak to the weary yet one who meets with horrible torments; a man however who accepts sufferings without hatred and with great patience unshaken in the undying assurance of God’s power to deliver him. We find in this a portrait of Jesus and a lesson of trust in the midst of unspeakable trials.
Psalm 22 describes the agonizing torments of a man who trusts in God and who at the end achieves victory. This psalm foretells the Messiah’s sufferings and the ultimate success of his mission.
The 2nd reading talks about the humility of Christ, who, although God, agreed to die an ignominious death. It also tells us about his ultimate glorification granted him by a merciful God, after his ordeal.
These inspiring texts simply provide a glance on a tremendous mystery! Good Friday has to do with the concept of SACRIFICE well enshrined in the biblical tradition. Above all it’s the demonstration of God’s infinite love for us sinners and a pathetic call for us to break away from evil and to rise to new life. Looking at the Cross all we can hear is: REPENT and BELIEVE in God’s love for you! Hence, repent, die to sins and come back to Church. From death to sin, NEW LIFE will SPRING FORTH!