Behold the wound of the Cross

Ish 52:13-53:12, Heb. 4:14-16.5:7-9, Jn 18:1-19:42. On this day we celebrate the Good Friday, the day which commemorates the moment when Our Lord Jesus Christ bore His Cross, suffered and died on the Cross at Calvary for us. We call this day Good Friday, because the Lord has truly brought us true goodness on this day by laying down His life for us. In order to understand this better, we have to understand and appreciate the significance of laying down His life for the world, and know how Good Friday has changed our history and our lives forever.

Before Good Friday, there was no hope of salvation, we were enslaved by sin and there was no escape from our fate of death, for our disobedience and refusal to believe in God. However, after Good Friday, there is a fundamental transformation, as dramatically shown to us as the Lord’s death on the Cross and as the veil of the Holy of Holies in the Temple of Jerusalem was torn open into two. In the crucifixion, all is consummated, because by it He draws us into contemplation of the grace and mercy of God in our lives in every circumstance. We may want to reach Easter but bypass Good Friday. However the Gospel entails both for “No cross no crown.” We must bear short-term pain for long-term gain. Living the Christian vocation involves a kind of dying to oneself in the service of others. This prospect can cause us to hold back, to delay, to put off needed action, in the hope that the challenge may go away by itself.

May the glorious Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ be our guide always, that we may grow ever deeper in faith and in our love for God! Amen!! Good morning and happy Good Friday!!!