Scriptures: Is. 52:13-53:12; Ps. 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-17, 25; Heb. 4:14-16; 5:7-9; Jn 18:1-19:42
The Church celebrates Good Friday with deep reverence, sorrow, and wonder. It is the most solemn day of the entire liturgical year. On this day, we do not celebrate the Eucharist — it is the only day in the whole year when the Holy Mass is not offered. Instead, we commemorate the Passion and Death of Christ on the Cross.
It is a day of mourning. The priests wear red vestments, the altar is bare, and the hymns are sung with somber and sorrowful tones. It is a day of fasting and abstinence, acts that express our solidarity with the suffering of Christ and our penance for sin. These external signs are important — they help us enter more deeply into the mystery of Jesus’ Passion and Death. But we must not remain only at the level of these external expressions. We are called to go deeper — to enter into the mystery of Christ’s suffering and death.
Let us try to understand the significance of Christ’s Passion and Death. It is the fulfillment of God’s eternal plan of salvation. This plan began in the Book of Genesis, when Adam and Eve sinned against God. As a result, humanity was separated from Him. Separation from God is the greatest punishment, because we were made by God and for God. We cannot truly live without Him.
From the moment humanity fell into sin, God began to unfold His plan to bring us back. Every iota of the Law, every whisper of the Prophets, every stanza of the Psalms echoes God’s longing to reconcile us to Himself. As the Letter to the Hebrews explains, in the fullness of time, God sent His only Begotten Son. In Jesus Christ, everything is fulfilled. His final act on the Cross is the culmination of God’s love for us. God held nothing back. He emptied Himself completely.
How did the Crucifixion of Christ become a salvific sign for us Christians?
For the Jews, crucifixion was a curse; for the Greeks, it was foolishness; for the Romans, it was a brutal form of capital punishment. And yet, the followers of Christ came to understand that the death of Jesus on the Cross was the very act that paid the price for our sins.
In the Old Testament, the Jews offered the blood of animals as atonement for sin. But Jesus, the true Lamb of God, offered His own Blood — completely and without reservation. St. Paul uses the Greek word kenosis, which means self-emptying. Jesus did not hold anything back. His dignity was mocked — they ridiculed Him as the “Son of God.” His body was tortured — He was scourged beyond what the law permitted. His blood was poured out — not a single drop was spared. He even surrendered his mother, entrusted to the Church as our own Mother. He kept nothing for himself.
Secondly, Jesus reconciled us with the Father. He restored the relationship that had been broken by sin. As St. Paul says, “While we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son” (Romans 5:10). In this way, Jesus revealed the depth of God’s love for us. He did not spare His only Son but offered Him up for our salvation.
Thirdly, Jesus overcame the greatest enemies of the human race: sin and death. In the Jewish mindset, death was seen as a final and undefeatable enemy. But Jesus rose from the dead — the first to do so — and opened the way to eternal life.
Lastly, Jesus left us an example. In His Passion, He showed us how to be obedient to God, how to love others to the end. He showed us that our suffering has meaning. When we unite our suffering with His, we share in His redemptive work — just as His suffering redeemed us, our own pain, offered with love, can bring healing to the world.
When we reflect on the deeper meaning of the Passion and Death of our Lord, we begin to love our God who first loved us. In the silence of this sacred day, let us ponder this great mystery. Let us accept the truth that Jesus suffered and died for me. We have one witness of this glorious day. It is the Cross. It says: “I am the witness of Jesus’ last act of love for you. I have seen him dying and taking his last breath in my hands. He did it for you willingly. He died while taking your name. He loved you very much. How have you responded to his love? Let us respond to this question in the silence of our hearts.
