THIS FRIDAY IS GOOD
Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion
Jn 18:1-19:42
Today is Good Friday. Jesus died today. It is Good Friday. The Son of God was murdered today by His own people. This Friday is good.
Sounds almost blasphemous, huh? Yes, it does. But it is not blasphemous.
In the Exultet, which will be sung or proclaimed tomorrow evening during the Easter Vigil Mass, you may also find this phrase blasphemous: “O, happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam, which gained for us so great a Redeemer!” But it is not at all blasphemous; otherwise, why is it part of the sacred liturgy? It is even at the core of the Easter proclamation!
Today we see the ultimate goodness of God. As St. Paul said, “God died for us not when we were His friends but when we were His enemies.” God loves us even when we do not love Him, even when we are not lovable, even when we are not loving. Only God can love this way naturally. Only God can knock us out of our seats with this surprise.
Today is good because today good triumphed over evil. The Lord turned the evil done to Him into the source of our ultimate good, into our redemption from evil, into our freedom from death. The cross became the source of grace.
Today is good because we, who follow the crucified and risen Lord, are commissioned to be good people and to do good deeds to others. The Lord showed us how to live by showing us how to die. Goodness should never shy away from persecutions. Goodness should not cow in fear before death. Goodness is the path from life to death to life eternal.
Yes, Jesus died today but this day is good because today we see the ultimate goodness of God, because today good won over evil, and because today we are called to follow the example of Jesus’ goodness to us.
But when Easter comes, the day will be even better!
Jn 18:1-19:42
Today is Good Friday. Jesus died today. It is Good Friday. The Son of God was murdered today by His own people. This Friday is good.
Sounds almost blasphemous, huh? Yes, it does. But it is not blasphemous.
In the Exultet, which will be sung or proclaimed tomorrow evening during the Easter Vigil Mass, you may also find this phrase blasphemous: “O, happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam, which gained for us so great a Redeemer!” But it is not at all blasphemous; otherwise, why is it part of the sacred liturgy? It is even at the core of the Easter proclamation!
Today we see the ultimate goodness of God. As St. Paul said, “God died for us not when we were His friends but when we were His enemies.” God loves us even when we do not love Him, even when we are not lovable, even when we are not loving. Only God can love this way naturally. Only God can knock us out of our seats with this surprise.
Today is good because today good triumphed over evil. The Lord turned the evil done to Him into the source of our ultimate good, into our redemption from evil, into our freedom from death. The cross became the source of grace.
Today is good because we, who follow the crucified and risen Lord, are commissioned to be good people and to do good deeds to others. The Lord showed us how to live by showing us how to die. Goodness should never shy away from persecutions. Goodness should not cow in fear before death. Goodness is the path from life to death to life eternal.
Yes, Jesus died today but this day is good because today we see the ultimate goodness of God, because today good won over evil, and because today we are called to follow the example of Jesus’ goodness to us.
But when Easter comes, the day will be even better!
posted by Fr. Bobby @ 3:00 PM
0 Comments
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home