The Catholic Calendar for Friday, March 25, 2005
Good Friday of the Lord's Passion

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Isaiah 52:13--53:12
Psalm 31:2,6,12-13,15-17,25
Hebrews 4:14-16;5:7-9
John 18:1--19:42

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

". . . He shall be raised high and greatly exalted."

On this most solemn day, we cannot help but hear the irony of Isaiah's prophecy--the double intention of the words. Indeed Jesus is lifted up and greatly exalted, but only after He was lifted up and greatly debased. So great was this debasement that we have a word for it, kenosis, which means, utter emptying of self.

Jesus's greatest triumph could occur only because Jesus completely emptied himself of Self and took on what God had planned from the beginning. In putting away self, Jesus took on God, just as we, as adopted daughters and sons of God may take on God by putting away self.

Good Friday is good because our redemption was won, and because Jesus showed us how to put on that redemption here and now. His sacrifice was not merely a sacrifice of life, but a sacrifice of self, an abandonment of all the selfishness and self-centeredness that defines the human race.

Good Friday is good because we are shown in full measure the goodness of God, who suffered for us, and the utter ends of vileness that humanity is capable of. The reality of Good Friday is a reality for all the year. Our redemption at so great a cost was not too much cost for God. That is how valuable we are.

Good Friday is good because by following its lessons, we learn to love and we learn how very much we are loved.

May we all be blessed by the example and the lessons of this Good Friday. May we carry them into our lives every day.

- JuandelaCruz
(sriddle415 at yahoo dot com)

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