The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today proclaimed this afternoon at the continuation of liturgy of the Paschal Triduum on Good Friday invite us to consider the Passion account of John as presenting the glory of God on the cross and our mission to raise up children for Christ.
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| On mission |
The reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah is the fourth narrative of the suffering servant.
* [52:13–53:12] The last of the “servant of the Lord” oracles (see note on 42:1–4). Taken together, these oracles depict a figure of one called by God for a vocation to Israel and the nations (42:4; 49:5–6); the servant’s exaltation both opens and closes the passage (52:13; 53:12). The servant responded in fidelity but has suffered opposition (50:4–6). In this fourth oracle the servant is characterized as “a man of suffering” (53:3) and appears to be unjustly put to death (53:8–9). Those who have witnessed his career somehow recognize that he is innocent, has undergone suffering for their sins (53:4–6), and his death is referred to as a reparation offering (see note on 53:10–11). The servant is described in ways that identify him with Israel (which is frequently referred to as “servant” in the context of Second Isaiah—e.g., 41:8, 9; 44:2, 21; 43:4) and is designated as “Israel” in 49:3; yet Israel outside the “servant of the Lord” oracles is not presented as sinless, but rather in exile because of sin (40:2; 42:21–25) and even as servant as deaf and blind (42:18–19). The servant is thus both identified with Israel and distinguished from it. As with the previous servant poems, this chapter helped the followers of Jesus to interpret his suffering, death, and resurrection; see especially the passion narratives.1
Psalm 31 is a prayer and praise for deliverance from enemies.
* [Psalm 31] A lament (Ps 31:2–19) with a strong emphasis on trust (Ps 31:4, 6, 15–16), ending with an anticipatory thanksgiving (Ps 31:20–24). As is usual in laments, the affliction is couched in general terms. The psalmist feels overwhelmed by evil people but trusts in the “God of truth” (Ps 31:6).2
The passage from the Letter to the Hebrews presents Jesus as the great High Priest.
* [4:14–16] These verses, which return to the theme first sounded in Heb 2:16–3:1, serve as an introduction to the section that follows. The author here alone calls Jesus a great high priest (Heb 4:14), a designation used by Philo for the Logos; perhaps he does so in order to emphasize Jesus’ superiority over the Jewish high priest. He has been tested in every way, yet without sin (Heb 4:15); this indicates an acquaintance with the tradition of Jesus’ temptations, not only at the beginning (as in Mk 1:13) but throughout his public life (cf. Lk 22:28). Although the reign of the exalted Jesus is a theme that occurs elsewhere in Hebrews, and Jesus’ throne is mentioned in Heb 1:8, the throne of grace (Heb 4:16) refers to the throne of God. The similarity of Heb 4:16 to Heb 10:19–22 indicates that the author is thinking of our confident access to God, made possible by the priestly work of Jesus.3
The Passion of Jesus is from the Gospel of John.
* [19:26–27] This scene has been interpreted literally, of Jesus’ concern for his mother; and symbolically, e.g., in the light of the Cana story in Jn 2 (the presence of the mother of Jesus, the address woman, and the mention of the hour) and of the upper room in Jn 13 (the presence of the beloved disciple; the hour). Now that the hour has come (Jn 19:28), Mary (a symbol of the church?) is given a role as the mother of Christians (personified by the beloved disciple); or, as a representative of those seeking salvation, she is supported by the disciple who interprets Jesus’ revelation; or Jewish and Gentile Christianity (or Israel and the Christian community) are reconciled.4
Molly Mattingly comments that at the darkest moment of our salvation history, the moment the most fully human person chose to enter into the deepest human uncertainty, that Person cried out with a song of surrender, trust, and hope. What do we surrender into God’s hands today?
I love singing Chrysogonus Waddell, OCSO’s haunting setting of Psalm 31 on Good Friday.** (Here’s last year’s. You can keep listening for Fr. Amidon’s homily.) I encourage you to read the entire psalm text. In the antiphon (Ps 31:6) we repeat Jesus’ last words on the cross in the Gospel of Luke (23:46): “Into your hands I commend my spirit.” Jesus (and Luke’s community) surely knew what came next: “You will redeem me, Lord, God of truth.” In lament, the psalmist describes the suffering and intense fear and anxiety that Jesus was surely experiencing as well: “I am in distress; affliction is wearing down my eyes, my throat, and my insides. My life is worn out by sorrow.” And always, the psalmist remembers their trust in God: “I trust in you, LORD; I say, ‘You are my God.’” The psalm ends, “Be strong and take heart, all who hope in the Lord.”5
Don Schwager quotes “Christ nailed our weakness to the cross,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"As evening drew near, the Lord yielded up His soul upon the cross in the certainty of receiving it back again. It was not wrested from Him against His will. But we too were represented there. Christ had nothing to hang upon the cross except the body He had received from us. And in doing so He nailed our human weakness to the cross." (excerpt from Commentary on Psalm 140,5)6
The Word Among Us Meditation on Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 shares that the blood that flowed from Jesus’ body is the blood that continues to wash us clean. It is, and always will be, enough. Our separation from God is truly finished! Now we can “confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy” (4:16).
But how confident are you of God’s mercy? Do you sometimes wonder how God can forgive your sins? Maybe you focus on a sin from the past that seems especially serious and wonder if you’ve really been forgiven. Or you might wonder why God continues to forgive a sin you keep committing over and over again. Does God’s mercy have limits?
The answer, of course, is no. God went to unimaginable lengths to assure us that we will always receive his mercy when we approach him. He sent his only begotten Son, his Beloved, to become man and sacrifice his life for us. That’s how much he loves us. That’s how much he desires to forgive us. And that’s why today is called “Good” Friday.7
Friar Jude Winkler notes that all the Passion accounts are similar as he explores some of the special features of John’s account. I AM is the manifestation of Jesus' divinity. The Cross is the hour of His glory. Marriage is a recurrent theme. The chiastic technique in John underlines Jesus Kingship. Friar Jude connects many symbols in John to our mission to raise up Christians for Christ.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments on Good Friday, we lament Jesus’ death while living in hope that death does not have the last word on our destiny. We are born with a longing, desire, and deep hope that this thing called life could somehow last forever. It is a premonition from something eternal that is already within us. Some would call it the soul. Christians would call it the indwelling presence of God. It is God within us that makes us desire and seek God.
Yes, we are going to die, but we have already been given a kind of inner guarantee and promise right now that death is not final—and it takes the form of love. Deep in the heart and psyche, love, both human and divine, connotes something eternal and gratuitous, and it does so in a deeply mysterious and compelling way. We are seeing this now in simple acts of love in this time of crisis, such as people volunteering to make masks and deliver food, or people cheering hospital workers arriving for their shift. Isn’t it amazing how a small act of love or gratitude can imprint a deeper knowing on our soul?
The crucifixion of Jesus is the preeminent example of God’s love reaching out to us. It is at the same moment the worst and best thing in human history. The Franciscans, led by John Duns Scotus (1266-1308), even claimed that instead of a “necessary sacrifice,” the cross was a freely chosen revelation of Total Love on God’s part.
In so doing, they reversed the engines of almost all world religion up to that point, which assumed that we had to spill blood to get to a distant and demanding God. On the cross, the Franciscans believed, God was “spilling blood” to reach out to us! This is a sea change in consciousness. The cross, instead of being a transaction, was seen as a dramatic demonstration of God’s outpouring love, meant to utterly shock the heart and turn it back toward trust and love of the Creator.8
Fr Richard concludes that amidst the devastating spread of COVID-19, the cross beckons us to what we would call “grief work,” holding the mystery of pain, looking right at it, and learning from it. With softened hearts, God leads us to an uncanny and newfound compassion and understanding.
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