The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary for Good Friday invite us to ponder the nuances and symbols that open our understanding of the great depth of love and compassion we are to embrace in the Passion of Christ.
The Cross on our path
The reading form the Book of the Prophet Isaiah graphically describes 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
In the reading from the Letter to the Hebrews, Jesus is acclaimed as a 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.
* [18:32] The Jewish punishment for blasphemy was stoning (Lv 24:16). In coming to the Romans to ensure that Jesus would be crucified, the Jewish authorities fulfilled his prophecy that he would be exalted (Jn 3:14; 12:32–33). There is some historical evidence, however, for Jews crucifying Jews. * [19:7] Made himself the Son of God: this question was not raised in John’s account of the Jewish interrogations of Jesus as it was in the synoptic account. Nevertheless, see Jn 5:18; 8:53; 10:36.4
The topics to review from the Passion text in John's Gospel.
Steve Scholer asks how many of us race through the daily missal, move the bookmark to tomorrow’s readings, head to the kitchen for another cup of coffee and then start to focus on what is really important to us…unread messages on our phones or our daily to do list?
Why do we not stop then and there to talk to God? Are we afraid to ask for God’s help? Do we not realize that God wants to hear what brings us joy and what is bothering us? God wants to know, so he can bestow his mercy, kindness, and grace on us, ease our burdens and make us better Christians. Lent is often when we focus on renewing and strengthening our faith. But we need to continue that effort beyond Easter and work to deepen our prayer life throughout the upcoming year. We need to make it a habit to set aside 10, 15 or 20 minutes of quiet time each day to talk to God, to approach the throne – without fear – in search of God’s mercy and grace. We need to tell God know how our day is going and our hopes, dreams, and fears. And equally as important, to thank him for his endless love and being at our side, each and every day. Have a Blessed Easter.5
Don Schwager quotes “Christ nailed our weakness to the cross,” by Saint 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 Isaiah 52:1–53:12 comments that we should have a reflective attitude today—maybe even a somber attitude. But today is not a day to be gloomy.
Instead, let’s approach the passion and death of Jesus with gratitude and awe and adoration. Let’s gaze at our crucified Lord and expect to be startled, even to be rendered speechless, by what we see (Isaiah 52:15). Because as paradoxical as it may seem, the sheer agony and injustice of Jesus’ cross reveal the powerful and surprising beauty of our God. The crucifixion of Jesus shows us that God’s love is so powerful that it can make even the evil of sin and death serve his perfect plan. It shows us that the goodness and strength of God’s desire to redeem us cannot be overturned, not even by the wicked scheming of the devil or the selfish desires of fallen human beings. No act of violence or deceit can ever thwart him.7
Friar Jude Winkler discusses the symbols discusses the symbols and theological ideas that are richly present in the texts today. A message to us from the foot of the Cross is to raise children for Jesus in accord with the Levirate marriage custom. Friar Jude reminds us of the connection of the Cross to Eucharist and Baptism.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that today the primary human problem is both revealed and resolved. It is indeed a “good” Friday. What is revealed is our human inclination to kill others, in any multitude of ways, instead of dying to ourselves—to our own illusions, pretenses, narcissism, and self-defeating behaviors. Jesus dies “for” us not in the sense of “a substitute for us” but “in solidarity with” the suffering of all humanity since the beginning of time! The first is merely a heavenly transaction of sorts; the second is a transformation of our very soul and the trajectory of history. Fr. Richard’s dear friend James Alison, a brilliant theologian and a primary teacher of the work of René Girard, [1] writes about the true power of the cross.
Now by Jesus going into, and occupying that space [of the victim], deliberately, without any attraction to it, he is not only proving that we needn’t be afraid of death, but also we needn’t be afraid of shame, disgrace, or of the fact that we have treated others to shame and disgrace. It is as if he were saying “Yes, you did this to me, as you do it to each other, and here I am undergoing this, occupying the space of it happening, but I’m doing so without being embittered or resentful. In fact, I was keen to occupy this space so as to try to get across to you that I am not only utterly alive, but that I am utterly loving. There is nothing you can do, no amount of evil that you can do to each other, that will be able to stop my loving you, nothing you can do to separate yourselves from me. The moment you perceive me, just here, on the cross, occupying this space for you and detoxifying it, the moment you perceive that, then you know that I am determined to show you that I love you, and am in your midst as your forgiving victim. This is how I prove my love to you: by taking you at your very lowest and worst point and saying “Yes, you do this to me, but I’m not concerned about that, let’s see whether we can’t learn a new way of being together.” [2]8
The subdued pace of Good Friday is a gift through which we have the opportunity to ponder how the path we walk might become a reflection of the Love of the Cross.
References
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