Catholic Caucus: Daily Readings, 03-25-16, Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion

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March 25, 2016 - Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion

By Father David Daly, LC

John 18:1-19:42

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.

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.

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?

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

March 25, 2016

On this day we cannot escape the image of the Cross. For some it is what St. Paul calls a scandal, a stumbling block. For others it is a reminder of a terrible death, the unjust conviction of an innocent man, Yes, there is darkness on this day, a certain emptiness that the Church acknowledges by not celebrating Mass and by having an empty tabernacle on this day.

The liturgical service is rather a service commemorating the passion and death of Jesus on the Cross. After hearing the Gospel account of Christ’s passion and death, we are invited to venerate the Cross on which Christ died.

What is the goodness of this day which explains why we call it “Good Friday”? The goodness of the Cross is in the saving power of God’s love. By God’s power what may seem to many to be a sign of death is actually a sign of life! The dying of Jesus on the Cross is a dying which is life-giving. Jesus himself used the image of the grain of wheat that must fall to the earth and “die” so that it can give new life. The dying of Jesus on the Cross is the dying of life-giving love.

It is indeed a sign of the greatest love that can be known. At the Last Supper, the night before he died, Jesus told his disciples that there is no greater love than the love that lays down one’s life for friends.

The Cross which we venerate at today’s liturgy is the saving Cross of God’s love for us.

Approaching the Cross for veneration, we hear the proclamation, “Behold the wood of the Cross on which hung the salvation of the world,” and we respond, “Come, let us adore.” We then venerate the Cross thanking God for the love that gives life. This Friday is made “good” by the goodness of Christ’s love.

Without Good Friday, there would be no Easter Sunday as a day of rejoicing, as a day of triumph and hope

St. Ignatius of Loyola suggests that we “imagine Christ our Lord present before us upon the cross, and begin to speak to him, asking him how it is though He is the Creator, He has stooped to become man, and to pass from eternal life to death here in time, that this He might die for our sins” and that “I shall also reflect upon myself and ask: ‘What have I done for Christ? What am I doing for Christ? What ought I to do for Christ?” (Spiritual Exercises, “Colloquy, First Exercise in the First Week”)

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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

THE TERRIBLE FACE OF LOVE

"He bowed His head, and delivered over His spirit." —John 19:30

A few days before I wrote this, a man was executed by the state of Florida in its electric chair. Florida ordered that a mask be put on, "so marred was his look beyond that of man, and his appearance beyond that of mortals" (Is 52:14). The mask and the skin on his face caught fire. Even some of the most hardened observers hid their faces (see Is 53:3) as they smelled the burning flesh. The condemned man maintained before his electrocution that he was innocent. He probably was not. But what if he was and you were the one guilty of the crime for which he was executed? You would surely hide your face (see Is 53:3) and not watch him die in your place.

Jesus was executed in our place. "The Lord laid upon Him the guilt of us all" (Is 53:6). "It was our infirmities that He bore, our sufferings that He endured" (Is 53:4). "He was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins" (Is 53:5). If we realized how great are our sins against the all-holy God Who is Love (1 Jn 4:16) and how great is the salvation Jesus has given us (see Heb 2:3) by dying in our place, we would love Jesus with all our hearts (Lk 10:27), repent completely, worship Him forever, keep thanking Him publicly, and be willing to do anything for Him, even to suffer and die. "Look on Him Whom" we "have pierced" (Jn 19:37).

Our sins are great. His love is perfect and crucified. Look into His face of love.

Prayer: "Jesus, my Lord, my God, my All! How can I love Thee as I ought?"

Promise: "Son though He was, He learned obedience from what He suffered; and when perfected, He became the Source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him." —Heb 5:8-9

Praise: (none)

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