Good Friday
But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins; upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed. Isaiah 52:5
Good Friday. What is good about it? There are several speculations on the meaning of the name, among them that it derives from an archaic form of “God’s Friday,” or from an archaic meaning of “good” as “holy,” which makes it fit nicely between Holy Thursday and Holy Saturday. But, apart from linguistic questions, what makes Good Friday good is that this is the day on which Jesus gave His very self in love for the salvation of all humanity, and of you, and of me. It is a day of both universal and very intimate significance.
A major part of the Good Friday liturgy consists of the Solemn Intercessions that conclude the Liturgy of the Word, ten prayers for the Church and the world. That is big, and they direct our attention and spiritual energies outward. But the third part of the celebration is Holy Communion, which is as ever an intimate experience: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof.”
In Luke’s Passion—today we have John’s—we find the example of “the good thief,” whom we call Dismas, hanging on a cross adjacent to Jesus’ on Calvary. In all the commotion and horror of the day, and of his own agony, Dismas either knew or could intuit enough about Jesus’ unconditional love to be able to turn to Him one-on-one with the simple prayer, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom,” to which Jesus replied, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Prayer
Jesus, remember me: I know that You always do. Give me the grace to remember and be mindful of You and Your unfathomable love for me, and to give my very self in bringing that love into the world around me.
Fr. David Cray, S.S.E. ’68, Saint Michael’s College Board of Trustees,
Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-17, 25
Second Reading: Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
Gospel: John 18:1—19:42
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