The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, Good Friday of Holy Week in the Triduum, challenge us to be aware of the Cross as the Proclamation of Great Love of God for humanity.
The reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah presents the fourth oracle 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. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 52 | USCCB, n.d.)
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). (Psalms, PSALM 31 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the reading from the Letter to the Hebrews, Jesus is proclaimed 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. (Hebrews, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of John presents the Passion Narrative from The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus to the Burial of Jesus.
* [19:14] Noon: Mk 15:25 has Jesus crucified “at the third hour,” which means either 9 A.M. or the period from 9 to 12. Noon, the time when, according to John, Jesus was sentenced to death, was the hour at which the priests began to slaughter Passover lambs in the temple; see Jn 1:29.
* [19:16] He handed him over to them to be crucified: in context this would seem to mean “handed him over to the chief priests.” Lk 23:25 has a similar ambiguity. There is a polemic tendency in the gospels to place the guilt of the crucifixion on the Jewish authorities and to exonerate the Romans from blame. But John later mentions the Roman soldiers (Jn 19:23), and it was to these soldiers that Pilate handed Jesus over.
* [19:17] Carrying the cross himself: a different picture from that of the synoptics, especially Lk 23:26 where Simon of Cyrene is made to carry the cross, walking behind Jesus. In John’s theology, Jesus remained in complete control and master of his destiny (cf. Jn 10:18). Place of the Skull: the Latin word for skull is Calvaria; hence “Calvary.” Golgotha is actually an Aramaic rather than a Hebrew word. (John, CHAPTER 19 | USCCB, n.d.)
Edward Morse comments that today we are called to pause and behold that which causes us to look away.
For there can be no greater love shown upon this land than
In the one who came to die that we might live.Behold, behold, the wood of the cross
On which is hung our salvation
O come, let us adore. (Morse, 2025)
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) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Isaiah 52:13–53:12 comments that the first reading from the prophet Isaiah helps us ponder the amazing truth about how Jesus endured all that pain to save humanity.
If he gives his life as an offering for sin, . . . the will of the Lord shall be accomplished through him (53:10). Jesus, you are the Lamb of God, the One who takes away the sins of the world. At any time, you could have stopped your agony. But you freely offered yourself so that I could be set free from the power of sin and death. You have redeemed me and restored me as a child of God. Thank you, Jesus—you did it for me!
“Lord Jesus, as I gaze at your cross today, I give you thanks for everything you chose to bear—for me!” (Meditation on Isaiah 52:13–53:12, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler offers some detailed comments on Jesus' choice of the title “Son of God” and the Songs of the Suffering Servant in His self description. Hebrews proclaims Jesus as the High Priest and the Sacrifice and Friar Jude clarifies the connection of “perfect” to Jesus Priesthood. Friar Jude teaches about the strong proclamation of the Divinity of Jesus, the use of a literary chiasm, resonance with Levirate marriage as our heritage, the Paschal Lamb, and the Garden of Eden in the Gospel of John. Friar Jude reminds us of the growth of the faith of Nicodemus in the Gospel of John.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, invites us to consider how loving surrender leads to softened hearts. 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.
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, 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. [2]
I believe that the cross is an image for our own time and every time: We are invited to gaze upon the image of the crucified Jesus to soften our hearts toward all suffering. 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. [3] (Rohr, n.d.)
We witness the bareness of our Church on Good Friday as we attend to the promptings of the Spirit to explore love, sacrifice, and the violence that accompanies the attempt to reject our destiny as brothers and sisters of Christ called to reveal the truth about Love.
References
Hebrews, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 18, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/hebrews/4?14
Isaiah, CHAPTER 52 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 18, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/52?13
John, CHAPTER 19 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 18, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/19
Meditation on Isaiah 52:13–53:12. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved April 18, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/04/18/1250299/
Morse, E. (2025, April 18). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved April 18, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/041825.html
Psalms, PSALM 31 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 18, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/31?2
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Praying for Softened Hearts. Retrieved April 18, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/praying-for-softened-hearts/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 18, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=apr18
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