Holy Week 2023 - GOOD FRIDAY
April 7: Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12; Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9; John 18:1-19:42
We
are at the peak, the peak of our Christian faith, the peak of the eternal
salvation plan of God, the peak of Calvary which has transformed human history
forever and from eternity. From this peak today speaks to us the love of God -
telling each of us: I died for you! I emptied myself for you! I gave totally of
myself for you!
The
liturgy today invites us to dwell on three C's...
The first is the Cross - the
centre not merely of the liturgy of today, but of our entire Christian life,
theology and spirituality. The Cross is the true symbol of love, not the heart
with a piercing arrow! The cross is the symbol of that total self-giving, total
to the extent of the last drop of blood and water. Suffering accepted for the
other, suffering taken up as a mode of self-giving, suffering endured as an act
of love, is salvific! This is both an inspiration and an invitation that we need
to hear every time we look at the Cross. Father forgive them, for they know not
what they do!
The second is the Crown - do
you know another word for a crown... Corona! We are so filled with this
word, these days as we battle against the COVID 19 crisis, all over the world.
When sufferings come our way, when trials visit us in our days, when burdens
weigh down our shoulders, when disease and death threaten us from the dark
corners, we need to remember this crown! Just imagine an athlete running a
race, if right at the beginning he is given a crown and said, all that you need
to do is reach the finish line... the crown is certainly yours, it is
guaranteed! That is actually a real Christian vision of life... yes, we have to
run, yes, we have to toil, yes, we have to strive... but the crown is ours,
already! Any crisis, any suffering, any temptation, any trial, is there just to
be endured and traversed; let us remember, we are all running with the crown
already on our head...if only we are ready to live through them all in faith!
Nothing can overtake us, nothing can overcome us, for there is someone who has
overcome everything - sins, world, even death and his crown we have on our
heads, the crown of salvation. Into your hands Lord, I commend my Spirit.
The third is Calvary - the
hill of grace, the mountain of salvation! The first time I visited Calvary, I
was disappointed. When the programme of the visit said, Calvary, my mind had
imagined an impressive hilltop up there - but all I beheld was a dozen steps to
climb with the place of crucifixion marked. We had already made the climb
walking the gradually rising slope leading to the Church of Crucifixion. But
that is precisely the message: Calvary is not that one hill perched high right
in the middle of our life - it is one whole life, it is a lifelong experience,
something that we gradually climb and come to grips with every day. Amidst the
daily chores, amidst the experiences of failures and faults, amidst the trying
relationships and discouraging life situations, we behold our Calvary - the
hill of grace, the mountain of salvation. All that we need to do is, be ready
is go through these mindful of the fact that there is God's Holy Will which is
guiding us and be ready to surrender ourselves totally. Thus, we can finally
say, 'it is accomplished!'
Let
us heed to the call of the Cross and understand the role of suffering in our
personal salvation and the salvation of the humankind. Let us behold the crown
of salvation and live the mystery of Calvary every day in our lives, firm in
faith, filled with hope and fired by love.
