by Fr Francis Anthony
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Psalm 30:2,6,12-13,15-17,25
Hebrews 4:14-16,5:7-9
John 18:1-19:42
Theme:
Love Divine – He took my place & died for my sins
Very fittingly today we call it ‘Good Friday‘.
Today we stand before the love of God. The action of God which brought about peace. The action of God which brought about manifestation of love. Very often some will say why ‘Good Friday‘? Jesus died. Yes, in the beginning of today’s Gospel, at the Betrayal, Judas made a plan to identify Jesus by kissing him. And that took place and Jesus asked Judas:- “Are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss? Who are you looking for?“
And they said “Jesus the Nazarene.“
And Jesus at that moment said: “If it is me you are looking for, send all these others free.“
And that moment we see Christ coming forward to die for us, all of us.
“Let them go free. It is me you are looking for.”
And through that suffering, the Way of the Cross today – most of it was taken from Saint John’s Gospel. The reflection shows the intensity of sin and also the intensity of love. God loves us and He liberates us. He makes us to be people who are free, not subjugated to our weaknesses.
And so when we say “we celebrate Good Friday”, we are celebrating the immensity of God’s love for us. Not our love for God because I have fasted, because I gave alms, because I prayed all this Lenten season. No. It is God, out of love, has reached out to us. Let us thank Him for having given us this great sign of love.
My dear friends, God so loved the whole says Saint John, He sent his only begotten Son to the world to redeem us. Saint Paul writing to the Philippians, he said: “God emptied Himself. He was divine.” He did not cling on to that power and the glory. Emptied Himself. Became one of us to the point of death. And through His death, He has given us liberation.
So my dear friends, as we spent a few minutes in the chapel, here in the church during this service, let us be people who are aware of the immensity of God’s love for us.
And we go to Psalm 8 What is man that he should die for us? So the dignity of each one of us is highlighted on this Good Friday. It has taken none other than God Himself to die for us because we are people created to the image of God. That is our dignity. And through Christ’s death and resurrection, He has redeemed us. He has raised us up. He has brought us into the fold. He has recreated us to the situation of the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve were in the company of God. That same situation has been recreated on the cross when Jesus died.
And one of the last words that Jesus said: “Forgive them. They do not know what they are doing.“
Even at that dying breath of His, He is telling “forgive“. And to the so-called good thief, he requested “Remember me when you go into Paradise.” And Jesus gives the promise: “Tonight you will be with me in Paradise.“
It is a Good Friday because we are able to get back to the original relationship with God. And on this Friday, Jesus establishes the church. Woman behold your son while Jesus was hanging on the cross. He did not abandon His mother or Saint John. And Saint John at that moment took her to his own. So Good Friday we will see the establishment of God’s community, the establishment of the church.
So let us thank God for all the blessings and let us not be arrogant and say: “I do not need Him.”
God is giving Himself to me. Let me be open to the blessings of God.
Click below to listen to the homily and watch the video:-
Click to live-stream Mass on 07 April 2023 (12noon)