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March 24, 2013Good Friday—The day is somber and reverent—liturgically speaking—showing our respect for the death of our Lord and Savior. The Church asks all adults over 18 to make it a day of fasting—the pain of hunger reminds us of the suffering of Jesus and helps us focus on the significance of the day. It is not a day for the movies or the mall but to consider what God did for us.
The cross that Jesus bears is a tool of torture and scandal that the Roman government reserved for lowest of criminals of the day—it was the electric chair of His times. By its use a slow and public death occurs and the Roman authorities made an example to others. At Golgatha the soldiers stripped and crucified Him but before breathing His last breath, Jesus says, “Father, for-give them, they know not what they do,” and according to John’s Gospel, “It is accomplished.”
Oddly, Christians call this Friday “good” because we believe that His sacrifice has saved us. When we as a parish stand on Good Friday and recite the ancient words of the crowd in Jerusalem, “Take Him away, Crucify Him!” we acknowledge we too are capable of lashing out at innocent people. We are cruel when we could be kind.
But what Christ did upon that cross—His act of immense forgiveness—is two fold: first, he forgave our debt to God; second, He provides us with an example of how we are to respond to others each every day: “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” What can learn from this to help our families? We know the need for forgiveness in our homes. It is hard to live in one house in harmony. If one person, a spouse, snaps at another a chain reaction of hurtful comments begins. A sibling in a rage of impatience with another hurls a favorite CD or a biting comment. Far too often we “know what we are doing.” Christ gives us an example of Love—forgiveness is the answer—granting it, asking for it—even when the offender isn’t sorry. This is mercy. Without mercy, sin grows all the more; with it, grace abounds…to paraphrase St. Paul.
