Good Friday message of the cross (2017)

[Is. 52:13-53:12; Heb. 4:14-16, 5:7-9; Jn. 18:1-19:42]

A man was standing in line at a bank once, when he noticed a commotion at the counter. A woman was distressed, exclaiming, “Where will I put my money? I have all my money and my mortgage here!! What will happen to my mortgage?!”

It turned out that she had misunderstood a small sign on the counter. The sign read, "WE WILL BE CLOSED FOR GOOD FRIDAY.” She wasn’t familiar with the events of Holy Week, because she thought that the bank was going to be closed “for good” that coming Friday. “WE WILL BE CLOSED FOR GOOD . . . FRIDAY.”

Well, God closed for Good all sin account of humanity by the death of his beloved Son. That is why instead of mourning we are celebrating the death of Jesus. That is why we call GOOD Friday rather than bad or black Friday.

It was in the eternal plan of God that his son should be sacrificed to bridge the gap between us and Him. John tells that “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son..." [Jn. 3:16; 1 Jn. 4:9]  In Rom 5:8: Paul says, “But God proves His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. "For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him" (2 Cor. 5:21).

Based on the Bible and the teachings of the Fathers of the Church, Bible scholars and theologians try to explain the reason for Jesus’ death by various theories. But all these theories are based on the central fact that man cannot atone for his sin against the infinite justice of God. Since God is just, he cannot merely sweep our sins "under the rug." God's justice demands that our sins be punished. Not to punish sin would be unjust. God is both just and loving. Therefore, God's love is willing to meet the demands of His justice. But only a God–man could do that, and Jesus made that atonement by his suffering and death. Out of perfect love for us, Jesus took upon himself the punishment we deserve. His willingness to suffer in our place balanced the divine "scales of justice." The debt was now paid. His love paid the price. His passion and death atoned for our sins and redeemed us.

Since humanity’s sin against an infinite God required infinite atonement, only Jesus who was God and man could make that atonement. In other words, nothing less than the atonement made by one who was God as well as man could suffice as satisfaction for the offense against the Divine Majesty. St. Thomas Aquinas explains that by reason of the infinite dignity of the Divine Person, the least action or suffering of Christ had an infinite value, so that in itself it would suffice as an adequate satisfaction for the sins of the whole world. (NAE).

You may have heard the story of soldiers who were prisoners of war on the River Kwai. At the end of a hard day’s work, a Japanese guard insisted that a shovel was missing. He ranted and raved, but no guilty party stepped forward. Finally in his anger he shouted, "All die! All die!" He raised his gun and prepared to start shooting. Suddenly a Scotsman stepped forward and said, "I did it." One guard kicked him. Then they hit him. They bashed his head with their rifles. Soon he was dead. The other prisoners picked up his bruised body to bury it. The shovels were counted and none was missing. The Scotsman, innocent of the accusation against him, had given his life as a sacrifice for the rest.  You all know how the Polish priest St. Maximilian Kolbe offered his life in the gas chamber to save another man.

The challenge Jesus offers from the cross for us is to accept our unavoidable share of pain and suffering in this life, deriving strength and inspiration from the suffering of Christ, and to offer it with His sufferings for the conversion of sinners and the salvation of the world. Jesus proved that voluntary acceptance of suffering has salvific value. It was in fact a condition for his disciples: "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” (Matthew 16: 24, Mark 8: 34, Luke 9: 23).

      Soon we will do the veneration of the Holy Cross.  As the covering on the Cross is uncovered in three steps, the priest intones, "Behold the wood of the Cross, on which hung the salvation of the world." As they kneel, the congregation responds, "Come, let us adore."

     The Holy Cross is then venerated by all, each one approaching the Cross with an appropriate sign of respect. Finally, the Cross is "enthroned" at the main altar.

     Why is the Cross such an important symbol? The Cross itself is an ambiguous symbol. St. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians speaks of how the Cross is a scandal and foolishness for unbelievers (1 Cor 1: 1- 23).

     In John's Gospel Jesus said, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

     The Cross is nothing other than the love of God. The Cross that we venerate is not a symbol of death but rather a symbol of life-giving love, of divine love! When we venerate the cross, think about the suffering Jesus endured on the cross for you.

“We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.”