Daily Readings for:April 18, 2014
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Remember your mercies, O Lord, and with your eternal protection sanctify your servants for whom Christ your Son, by the shedding of his Blood, established the Paschal Mystery. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen

RECIPES

o Fritatta Sardegna (Omelet Sardinian)

o Oeufs à la Mistral (Baked Eggs)

o Pain Doré (Golden Toast)

o Vdolky (Bohemian Pan Cakes)

o Cold Apple Soup

o Cold Tomato Soup with Wine

o Confectioners' Sugar Icing

o Old-Fashioned Johnnycake

o Potted Cod with Sour Cream

o Quick Hot Cross Buns

o Ricotta Omelet

o Scrambled Eggs and Cheese

o Scrambled Eggs with Mushrooms

o Scrambled Eggs with Shrimps

o Sourdough Hot Cross Buns

o Spatzle

ACTIVITIES

o A Jonas (Jonah) Project

o Devotions for Good Friday

o Easter Garden I

o Good Friday Activities in the Home

o Good Friday in the Home

o Good Friday in the Home with the Trapp Family

o Good Friday Lamentations

o Good Friday Remembrance

o Good Friday Reproaches (Improperia)

o Holy Week in the Catholic Tradition

o Hymn: Vexilla Regis Prodeunt

o Jonas and Holy Week

o Lent Hymn: O Head All Scarred and Bleeding

o Lent Hymn: Open, O Hard and Sinful Heart!

o Lenten Customs of the Russian Germans

o Music for Lent and Easter: St. Matthew Passion by Bach

o Pretzels for God: Lent and the Pretzel

o Sacred Triduum in the Home

o Tenebræ

o The Three O'Clock Hour

o Good Friday Activities

PRAYERS

o Prayer for Good Friday

o Stations of the Cross at Home

o Good Friday Table Blessing

o Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Sacred Triduum (2nd Plan)

o To Jesus Forsaken

o The Chaplet of the Divine Mercy

o Divine Mercy Novena

o Family Evening Prayer for Holy Week

o Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Sacred Triduum (1st Plan)

· Lent: April 18th

· Good Friday

Old Calendar: Good Friday ; Other Titles: God's Friday; Great Friday; Holy Friday;

"It is accomplished; and bowing his head he gave up his spirit."

Today the whole Church mourns the death of our Savior. This is traditionally a day of sadness, spent in fasting and prayer. The title for this day varies in different parts of the world: "Holy Friday" for Latin nations, Slavs and Hungarians call it "Great Friday," in Germany it is "Friday of Mourning," and in Norway, it is "Long Friday." Some view the term "Good Friday" (used in English and Dutch) as a corruption of the term "God's Friday." This is another obligatory day of fasting and abstinence. In Ireland, they practice the "black fast," which is to consume nothing but black tea and water.

Stational Church

Liturgy

According to the Church's ancient tradition, the sacraments are not celebrated on Good Friday nor Holy Saturday. "Celebration of the Lord's Passion," traditionally known as the "Mass of the Presanctified," (although it is not a mass) is usually celebrated around three o'clock in the afternoon, or later, depending on the needs of the parish.

The altar is completely bare, with no cloths, candles nor cross. The service is divided into three parts: Liturgy of the Word, Veneration of the Cross and Holy Communion. The priest and deacons wear red or black vestments. The liturgy starts with the priests and deacons going to the altar in silence and prostrating themselves for a few moments in silent prayer, then an introductory prayer is prayed.

In part one, the Liturgy of the Word, we hear the most famous of the Suffering Servant passages from Isaiah (52:13-53:12), a pre-figurement of Christ on Good Friday. Psalm 30 is the Responsorial Psalm "Father, I put my life in your hands." The Second Reading, or Epistle, is from the letter to the Hebrews, 4:14-16; 5:7-9. The Gospel Reading is the Passion of St. John.

The General Intercessions conclude the Liturgy of the Word. The ten intercessions cover these areas:

For the Church
For the Pope
For the clergy and laity of the Church
For those preparing for baptism
For the unity of Christians
For the Jewish people
For those who do not believe in Christ
For those who do not believe in God
For all in public office
For those in special need

For more information about these intercessions please see Prayers for the Prisoners from the Catholic Culture Library.

Part two is the Veneration of the Cross. A cross, either veiled or unveiled, is processed through the Church, and then venerated by the congregation. We joyfully venerate and kiss the wooden cross "on which hung the Savior of the world." During this time the "Reproaches" are usually sung or recited.

Part three, Holy Communion, concludes the Celebration of the Lord's Passion. The altar is covered with a cloth and the ciboriums containing the Blessed Sacrament are brought to the altar from the place of reposition. The Our Father and the Ecce Agnus Dei ("This is the Lamb of God") are recited. The congregation receives Holy Communion, there is a "Prayer After Communion," and then a "Prayer Over the People," and everyone departs in silence.

Activities

This is a day of mourning. We should try to take time off from work and school to participate in the devotions and liturgy of the day as much as possible. In addition, we should refrain from extraneous conversation. Some families leave the curtains drawn, and maintain silence during the 3 hours (noon — 3p.m.), and keep from loud conversation or activities throughout the remainder of the day. We should also restrict ourselves from any TV, music or computer—these are all types of technology that can distract us from the spirit of the day.

If some members of the family cannot attend all the services, a little home altar can be set up, by draping a black or purple cloth over a small table or dresser and placing a crucifix and candles on it. The family then can gather during the three hours, praying different devotions like the rosary, Stations of the Cross, the Divine Mercy devotions, and meditative reading and prayers on the passion of Christ.

Although throughout Lent we have tried to mortify ourselves, it is appropriate to try some practicing extra mortifications today. These can be very simple, such as eating less at the small meals of fasting, or eating standing up. Some people just eat bread and soup, or just bread and water while standing at the table.

For a more complete understanding of what Our Lord suffered read this article On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ (JAMA article) taken from The Journal of the American Medical Association.

The Station today is at the church of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem which contains parts of the true Cross and one of the nails of the Crucifixion. The Church commemorates the redemption of the world with the reading of the Passion, the Collects in which the Church prays with confidence for the salvation of all men, the veneration of the Cross and the reception of Our Lord reserved in the Blessed Sacrament.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: John 18:1–19:42

Friday of the Passion of the Lord (Good Friday)

It is finished. (John 19:30)

Good Friday is good because we have a good God. Over the years people have put together all kinds of statements that highlight just what it was that Jesus “finished” or accomplished in his passion. For example, “Jesus was scourged so that I might be healed” or “Jesus wore a crown of thorns that I might wear a crown of righteousness” or “Jesus was condemned to death so that I might have new life.”

So as we read the passion today, let’s do some of our own meditating in this way. For instance, let’s see how, like Judas, we betray Jesus when we fall into sin. Or like Peter, we can act like cowards when we pretend that we don’t know the Lord or when we shy away from sharing our faith. Or let’s think about how we can be like Pontius Pilate, who asked, “What is truth?” not because he wanted to know but because he wanted to protect his reputation (John 18:38). Or let’s think about how we can be like the soldiers, driving nails into his hands and feet, piercing his side with our sins.

Meditating on the passion like this can be a bitter experience. But it can also be sweet. Good Friday isn’t just a day to mourn; it’s also a day to celebrate. It’s the day that Jesus longed for. It’s the very reason why he came to us in the first place!

In Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken,” a man faces a fork in the road and has to choose which way to go. Reflecting on his choice, he says,

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Life has many different roads. The road of discipleship is not well traveled today. But those who do follow it find treasures beyond compare: salvation and eternal life. They discover God’s unconditional love. And they are moved to love other people as Jesus loves them. This road makes “all the difference” in our lives—simply because Jesus said, “It is finished.”

“Jesus, I thank you and honor you for dying on the cross for me.”

Isaiah 52:13–53:12; Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-17, 25; Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9

Marriage=One Man and One Woman 'Til Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for April 18, 2014:

“Spouses are therefore the permanent reminder to the Church of what happened on the Cross.” (Bl. John Paul II) Powerful. As a sacrament, marriage shows to the world the love Christ has for His Church – love that took Him to the Cross. Pray to live this love in your own marriage.

Insight Scoop

"The Cross–For Us" by Hans Urs von Balthasar

The Cross–For Us | Hans Urs von Balthasar | An excerpt from A Short Primer For Unsettled Laymen

Without a doubt, at the center of the New Testament there stands the Cross, which receives its interpretation from the Resurrection.

The Passion narratives are the first pieces of the Gospels that were composed as a unity. In his preaching at Corinth, Paul initially wants to know

nothing but the Cross, which "destroys the wisdom of the wise and wrecks the understanding of those who understand", which "is a scandal to the Jews and foolishness to the gentiles". But "the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men" (I Cor 1:19, 23, 25).

Whoever removes the Cross and its interpretation by the New Testament from the center, in order to replace it, for example, with the social commitment of Jesus to the oppressed as a new center, no longer stands in continuity with the apostolic faith. He does not see that God's commitment to the world is most absolute precisely at this point across a chasm.

It is certainly not surprising that the disciples were able to understand the meaning of the Cross only slowly, even after the Resurrection. The Lord himself gives a first catechetical instruction to the disciples at Emmaus by showing that this incomprehensible event is the fulfillment of what had been foretold and that the open question marks of the Old Testament find their solution only here (Lk 24:27).

Which riddles? Those of the Covenant between God and men in which the latter must necessarily fail again and again: who can be a match for God as a partner? Those of the many cultic sacrifices that in the end are still external to man while he himself cannot offer himself as a sacrifice. Those of the inscrutable meaning of suffering which can fall even, and especially, on the innocent, so that every proof that God rewards the good becomes void. Only at the outer periphery, as something that so far is completely sealed, appear the outlines of a figure in which the riddles might be solved.

This figure would be at once the completely kept and fulfilled Covenant, even far beyond Israel (Is 49:5-6), and the personified sacrifice in which at the same time the riddle of suffering, of being despised and rejected, becomes a light; for it happens as the vicarious suffering of the just for "the many" (Is 52:13-53:12). Nobody had understood the prophecy then, but in the light of the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus it became the most important key to the meaning of the apparently meaningless.

Did not Jesus himself use this key at the Last Supper in anticipation? "For you", "for the many", his Body is given up and his Blood is poured out. He himself, without a doubt, foreknew that his will to help these" people toward God who are so distant from God would at some point be taken terribly seriously, that he would suffer in their place through this distance from God, indeed this utmost darkness of God, in order to take it from them and to give them an inner share in his closeness to God. "I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how I am constrained until it is accomplished!" (Lk 12:50).

Continue reading ""The Cross–For Us" by Hans Urs von Balthasar" »

Insight Scoop

The Question of Suffering, the Response of the Cross

The Question of Suffering, the Response of the Cross | Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

An excerpt from God and the World: A Conversation with Peter Seewald (Ignatius Press, 2002), by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, pages 332-36, 333.

Seewald: We are used to thinking of suffering as something we try to avoid at all costs. And there is nothing that many societies get more angry about than the Christian idea that one should bear with pain, should endure suffering, should even sometimes give oneself up to it, in order thereby to overcome it. "Suffering", John Paul II believes, "is a part of the mystery of being human." Why is this?

Cardinal Ratzinger: Today what people have in view is eliminating suffering from the world. For the individual, that means avoiding pain and suffering in whatever way. Yet we must also see that it is in this very way that the world becomes very hard and very cold. Pain is part of being human. Anyone who really wanted to get rid of suffering would have to get rid of love before anything else, because there can be no love without suffering, because it always demands an element of self-sacrifice, because, given temperamental differences and the drama of situations, it will always bring with it renunciation and pain.

When we know that the way of love–this exodus, this going out of oneself–is the true way by which man becomes human, then we also understand that suffering is the process through which we mature. Anyone who has inwardly accepted suffering becomes more mature and more understanding of others, becomes more human. Anyone who has consistently avoided suffering does not understand other people; he becomes hard and selfish.

Love itself is a passion, something we endure. In love experience first a happiness, a general feeling of happiness.

Yet on the other hand, I am taken out of my comfortable tranquility and have to let myself be reshaped. If we say that suffering is the inner side of love, we then also understand it is so important to learn how to suffer–and why, conversely, the avoidance of suffering renders someone unfit to cope with life. He would be left with an existential emptiness, which could then only be combined with bitterness, with rejection and no longer with any inner acceptance or progress toward maturity.

Seewald: What would actually have happened if Christ had not appeared and if he had not died on the tree of the Cross? Would the world long since have come to ruin without him?

Cardinal Ratzinger: That we cannot say. Yet we can say that man would have no access to God. He would then only be able to relate to God in occasional fragmentary attempts. And, in the end, he would not know who or what God actually is.

Something of the light of God shines through in the great religions of the world, of course, and yet they remain a matter of fragments and questions. But if the question about God finds no answer, if the road to him is blocked, if there is no forgiveness, which can only come with the authority of God himself, then human life is nothing but a meaningless experiment. Thus, God himself has parted the clouds at a certain point. He has turned on the light and has shown us the way that is the truth, that makes it possible for us to live and that is life itself.

Seewald: Someone like Jesus inevitably attracts an enormous amount of attention and would be bound to offend any society. At the time of his appearance, the prophet from Nazareth was not only cheered, but also mocked and persecuted. The representatives of the established order saw in Jesus' teaching and his person a serious threat to their power, and Pharisees and high priests began to seek to take his life. At the same time, the Passion was obviously part and parcel of his message, since Christ himself began to prepare his disciples for his suffering and death. In two days, he declared at the beginning of the feast of Passover, "the Son of Man will be betrayed and crucified."

Continue reading "The Question of Suffering, the Response of the Cross" »

Vultus Christi

In His Face Thou seest all our faces

Thursday, 17 April 2014 20:15

Respice, quaesumus Domine, super hanc familiam tuam, pro qua Dominus noster Iesus Christus non dubitavit manibus tradi nocentium et Crucis subire tormentum. Qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum.

Look down, O Lord, we beseech Thee, upon this thy family, for which our Lord Jesus Christ did not refuse to be delivered into the hands of wicked men, and to endure the torment of the cross; who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God forever and ever.

Held in the Father’s Gaze

Most collects begin by addressing God the Father, and then recall one or more of the mirabilia — the wondrous deeds — He has wrought, either in salvation history, or in the lives of His saints. The collect by which the Church concludes all the Hours during the Sacred Paschal Triduum departs from this usual form. It begins, rather, with a cry from the heart, a plea addressed to the Father, asking him to look upon us attentively, to fix His gaze upon us. The collect uses respice, a verb that, according to Lewis and Short, can mean “to look at with solicitude, to have a care for, or to consider”. The Church, during these most solemn days, has but one desire: she prays to be held in the Father’s gaze. She begs the Father to look upon her steadily, lovingly, tenderly, and not to lose sight of her.

The Face of the Son

Rightly, the liturgy of the Church, and popular devotions in its wake, have focused on the Christocentric character of the Sacred Paschal Triduum. In a sense, the Church, and every soul attuned to her prayer, has eyes only for Jesus. It is a question of seeking His Face, disfigured in the bitter afflictions of His Passion, and of entering into all the sentiments of His Heart, desolate, grieved, and forsaken. All of this is right and, yet, there is something more: there is the hidden presence of the Father in the Passion of the Son. Even as she contemplates the adorable Face of the Son in His sufferings, the Church yearns to meet the gaze of the Father.

The Second Adam

The first Adam, overwhelmed by awareness of his sin, sought to hide from the Father’s gaze. “Adam and his wife hid themselves in the garden, among the trees. And the Lord God called to Adam; Where art thou? he asked. I heard thy voice, Adam said, in the garden, and I was afraid, because of my nakedness, so I hid myself” (Genesis 3:8–10). The second Adam, stripped naked and lifted high on the tree of the Cross, seeks the Father’s gaze and, in the Hour of His Sacrifice, cries out to the Father in the supreme act of confidence: “It was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. The sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in the midst: and Jesus said, crying with a loud voice, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit; and yielded up his spirit as he said it.” (Luke 23:44–46).

An Infinite Pity

It may well be the particular grace of this Sacred Paschal Triduum that we should meet the gaze of the Father and, by an act of hope in total darkness, discover that, amidst all the sufferings that He wills or permits, and in spite of every claim that He is weak, or absent, or remote, or indifferent, or full of wrath, His gaze is fixed upon us with an infinite pity. There are three sufferings that seem to have wounded our age more than others: the weak father who disappoints; the absent father who causes suffering while remaining invisible; and the wrathful father who strikes out at the family given him to cherish. When the Church prays, Respice, quaesumus, Domine, super hanc familiam tuam, she is, in effect, saying:

Father, turn Thy gaze upon us,
for Thou art strong, not weak;
Thou, Father, art present and attentive,
not remote and indifferent;
Thou, Father, art tender and compassionate,
not vengeful and full of wrath.

In our weakness we have not leaned upon thy strength;
in our wanderings, we have lost sight of Thy countenance;
in our guilt, we have nearly despaired of ever seeing mercy in Thine eyes.

All of this Thy beloved Son has changed for us
by raising His eyes to heaven
and by meeting Thy gaze with a gaze of filial love
in the obscurity of Calvary,
and in the desolation of His death upon the Cross.
In His Face Thou seest all our faces;
in His eyes Thou readest the secrets of all our hearts.

Respice, Pater, super hanc familiam tuam.
Father, look.
Father, keep us beneath Thy gaze.
Father, behold the Face of Thy Son
and in His eyes,
see Thou the soul of every man
who seeketh Thee in his night.

Regnum Christi

Invitation to Intimacy

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion

Father David Daly, LC

John 18:1-19

When he had said this, Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to where there was a garden, into which he and his disciples entered. Judas his betrayer also knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So Judas got a band of soldiers and guards from the chief priests and the Pharisees and went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him, went out and said to them, "Whom are you looking for?" They answered him, "Jesus the Nazorean." He said to them, "I AM." Judas his betrayer was also with them. When he said to them, "I AM," they turned away and fell to the ground. So he again asked them, "Whom are you looking for?" They said, "Jesus the Nazorean." Jesus answered, "I told you that I AM. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.” This was to fulfill what he had said, "I have not lost any of those you gave me." Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest´s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave´s name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword into its scabbard. Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?" So the band of soldiers, the tribune, and the Jewish guards seized Jesus, bound him, and brought him to Annas first. He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had counseled the Jews that it was better that one man should die rather than the people. Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Now the other disciple was known to the high priest, and he entered the courtyard of the high priest with Jesus. But Peter stood at the gate outside. So the other disciple, the acquaintance of the high priest, went out and spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter in. Then the maid who was the gatekeeper said to Peter, "You are not one of this man´s disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not." Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal fire that they had made, because it was cold, and were warming themselves. Peter was also standing there keeping warm. The high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his doctrine. Jesus answered, "I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the Temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said." When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, "Is that how you answer the high priest?" Jesus answered, "If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?" Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him, "You are not also one of his disciples, are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not." One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, "Did I not see you in the garden with him?" Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed.

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, Good Friday is the day when you conquered sin by your death on the cross. You showed your mercy to be indestructible. The more the offenses thrown against you, the greater the forgiveness that came from your Sacred Heart. Thank you, Lord, for your humble, generous gift of yourself amidst such terrible suffering. I wish to accompany you closely today in your Passion. I wish to know you and to follow you more closely all the days of my life.

Petition: Lord, convince my heart that you truly died out of personal love for me.

1. The Affirmation: “I AM”. These are the courageous words of Christ before the cohort of soldiers sent to apprehend him in the garden of Gethsemane. They are the same words that God used to describe himself to Moses on Mt. Sinai. They are the words that have been used in Christian thought to refer to the Creator of all existing things. They are words in which Christ recognizes and proclaims his divinity before the soldiers. For this reason, they turned around and fell to the ground. As we meditate on Christ’s Passion, let us remember his divinity. He is my God and he is my Savior.

2. The Denial: “I am not.” These words of Peter stand in stark contrast to the words proclaiming Christ’s divinity. We could say that they represent all that is weak and fragile in man, expressed through the mouth of St. Peter. Unlike Christ in the garden, Peter stands by a warm fire and responds to a young servant girl. He denies being a follower of Christ and, in doing so, confirms his own weakness and his need for God’s grace and mercy. We should identify with Peter and recognize our need for Christ’s sacrifice. When “I Am Not”? When do I let my human fragility get the better of me and pull me down? What do I need to do to avoid the pitfalls in my life and be a more faithful follower of Christ?

3. Out of Love for Me: This Gospel scene juxtaposes Peter’s denial and Christ’s sentence to death. Even though Christ’s death would have happened without Peter’s denial, what was its effect on Our Lord? Jesus was dying for Peter and all people in order to save us from our sins. Peter’s lack of faith and love did not change that. But when he turned again and believed, he recognized that Jesus had done it all for him, and from then on he proclaimed it far and wide. May the Lord help us to realize that Christ sees all of our actions and they either console him or add to the pain of so many infidelities. We need to work steadily to build a second nature within ourselves so that in moments of temptation our heart turns first to Jesus, considers the offense we might cause him and then our will kicks in to reject doing wrong and thus please Our Lord and Savior.

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, as I contemplate your loving self-giving on Good Friday, I ask you to fill my heart with a deeper knowledge and love of you. All of my infidelities and weaknesses contribute to what you have suffered. You did it out of love for me and for each one of my brothers and sisters. Thank you.

Resolution: I resolve to ask for the personal experience of Christ’s love today, especially when considering his passion and death.

Homily of the Day

April 18, 2014

Good Friday

The Paschal Mystery, the story of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Lord, is the ultimate victorious love story rather than a tragedy and defeat. God is totally and unconditionally in love with us and wants all of us to share in His divine life. That’s why Jesus, the Son of God, became man and shared in our humanity, even being “tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sinning.” In Jesus, we have a high priest and intercessor who’s familiar with and understands all our weaknesses and the vicissitudes of the human condition. Out of love and complete obedience to the Father, Jesus went through horrible suffering and death on the cross to save us from our sins and bring us home to the Father. In Jesus’ Paschal sacrifice, we can therefore have the confidence that we are already victorious over sin and have been saved and have God’s mercy and help when we obey him.

“Our God gives constantly and unceasingly.” (Fr. Johnny Go, SJ) Jesus gave up everything for us during his Passion and death on the cross. This kenosis or self-emptying love is a call to us for self-diminishment: “we need to tear ourselves away from ourselves, leave ourselves behind [in order to] emerge from ourselves.”

It’s important that we “hold fast to the faith we profess.” “Faith is an encounter with Jesus, with life.” (Pope Benedict XVI). “Faith is about God. It involves consciously looking for God in everything we do. It is about seeing God in everything and everyone. God is the focus, not me. It is not about my needs, desires, and ambitions. Faith starts with listening to the Word of God and this should lead to transformation and action. Faith is kept alive by actions of love.

Has my encounter with Jesus changed me for the better? Am I transmitting faith to the people I live with, meet or come in contact with? Do they encounter Jesus in me?” (Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle)

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Español

All Issues > Volume 30, Issue 3

<< Friday, April 18, 2014 >>

Good Friday

Isaiah 52:13—53:12
Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
View Readings

Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-17, 25
John 18:1—19:42
Similar Reflections

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?

"Who would believe what we have heard?" —Isaiah 53:1

At one time or another in our lives, each of us has been astounded by something we've heard. Pause and reflect for a moment. Ponder with utter amazement precisely what Jesus proclaimed through His obedience two-thousand years ago. He first suffered, "and when perfected, He became the Source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him" (Heb 5:9). Furthermore, "at the appointed time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for us godless men" and women (Rm 5:6).

Jesus spoke loud and clear that fateful day. His filial trust in the Father makes this Friday very good. Jesus abandoned Himself to the Father's will and prayed, "Into Your hands I commend My Spirit" (Ps 31:6; cf Lk 23:46).

Stop and meditate upon the magnitude of the event. In our ignorance we, the creatures, killed the Creator. Are we any better than the Roman soldiers, who "repeatedly...came up to Him and said, 'All hail, King of the Jews!', slapping His face as they did so"? (Jn 19:3) Or are we more like Pontius Pilate? When we hear Jesus proclaimed as God's Son, are we "more afraid than ever"? (see Jn 19:7-8)

In the end, when "it is finished" (Jn 19:30), call to mind that "fear is useless. What is needed is trust" (Mk 5:36). Remember, "He wants all men to be saved and come to know the truth" (1 Tm 2:4). That is very Good News.

Prayer: Jesus, into Your hands I commend my life.

Promise: "He was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins, upon Him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by His stripes we were healed." —Is 53:5

Praise: (none)

Prayer for Life

Dearest Lady of Guadalupe, fruitful Mother of Holiness, teach me your ways of gentleness and strength. Hear my prayer, offered with deep-felt confidence to beg this favor...
O Mary, conceived without sin, I come to your throne of grace to share the fervent devotion of your faithful Mexican children who call to thee under the glorious Aztec title of "Guadalupe"--the Virgin who crushed the serpent.
Queen of Martyrs, whose Immaculate Heart was pierced by seven swords of grief, help me to walk valiantly amid the sharp thorns strewn across my pathway. Invoke the Holy Spirit of Wisdom to fortify my will to frequent the Sacraments so that, thus enlightened and strengthened, I may prefer God to all creatures and shun every occasion of sin.

Help me, as a living branch of the vine that is Jesus Christ, to exemplify His Divine charity always seeking the good of others. Queen of Apostles, aid me to win souls for the Sacred Heart of my Savior. Keep my apostolate fearless, dynamic and articulate, to proclaim the loving solicitude of Our Father in Heaven so that the wayward may heed His pleading and obtain pardon, through the merits of your merciful Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.