Isaiah 52: 13-53: 12,
Psalm 31:2 and 6.12-13.15- 16.17,
Hebrews 4: 14-16; 5 :7-9,
John 18: I-19:42 Full Readings
Why is it Good Friday?
The Commemoration of the Lord’s passion takes place about three o’clock, unless pastoral reasons suggest a later hour. The celebration consists of three parts, namely Liturgy of the Word, the Veneration of the Cross, and Holy Communion. Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion is a day of penance for the whole Church, to be marked by fasting and abstinence from meat. No mass is celebrated that day.
Why is it called Good Friday while it's a dark day, Jesus died? For us Catholics, we take this day to be “good” an alternative to “Holy” though there is death of Jesus because there is more of good in the death of Jesus and no evil in it. It's good because it is the day Christ "showed His great love for man, and purchased for him every blessing".
Brethren, it is a dark Friday, the day is quite, Judas had succeeded in betraying Jesus by a kiss (thereby misusing the greatest sign of love. Kiss is always for people who love each other, but Judas has misused it as a betrayal sign), Jesus arrested, has been tried in the eyes of many officials, sentenced to death, despised by many, dies a shameful death, and is buried. The world has lost a prophet, it has lost the a teacher, a miracle worker, and Mary has lost her Son, but this is not in vain, salvation has been attained by the world, God has shown his love for all humanity by giving his only one son to die for many and the gates of heaven are opened for all to enter as the veil of the temple is split, and for all who believe eternal life awaits them in the kingdom where Jesus Christ is the King forever, for his kingdom is not of this world.
No one to plead Jesus' cause, no one close to him any more, rejected and abandoned by his disciples, despised by many, Jesus takes his cross and dies for us. Brethren this is the highest kind of love one can ever receive and this is God's love. Jesus though he was despised even hung naked on the cross, the most shameful act that ever happened to anybody, his thoughts are still on the people, the good thief, the prosecutors as he forgives them from there and then. By his suffering he bore all our sins and forgave us by his cross. It is an invitation to us to always look at the cross venerate it as a sign of our salvation. Under the feet of the cross let us always pray that as Jesus conquered death we may all conquer the world's pleasures and seek for the pleasures of the kingdom.
At the cross, Jesus gave us his mother Mary as the mother of all the church, let us always implore her intercession that through all difficult times she may help us to pass through them as she passed through the painful death of her son. May mother Mary always intercede for us to her son.
Brethren, let us keep watch and pray today, stay with Jesus as he dies on the cross, so that he may die with all our sins, and at resurrection bring new life to us. Let us keep looking at that cross, at his wounds and be healed and the water and blood which flowed from his side be a source of life and forgiveness of our sins. And may that love shown on the cross dwell in us always and forever. Amen.
Wish prayerful Good Friday.
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