Good Friday

Good afternoon, dear reader. We certainly had a lot to read and digest today. Our readings reminded us of the sacrifice Jesus made for all of us, for all our sins. It was a heavy burden for Him to carry, yet He willingly did it. 

Our reading in Isaiah is the fourth installment of "the suffering servant". These stories can be looked at as God's message of sending His son, of Jesus being the suffering Servant. Jesus was sent here to save the people from sin, to bring them into divine unity with the Father and Son. But first Jesus would have to suffer through much in order for all of this to happen. Each detail is laid clear in this reading. There is nothing left to doubt or question. 

In Hebrews, we see Jesus being referred to as the high priest; one who is compassionate and understanding. He knew what it felt like to be cast aside, to be looked down on, to be ignored. These qualities made Jesus more approachable. He wasn't some high king who ruled over people but paid them no attention. He was among the people. He was one of them. I think this is why people found it easier to come to Him, to be with Him. They knew they would not be turned away. They would be welcomed and cared for within His presence. 

The final reading in John is the Passion of Christ. It is always a difficult one to get through. It is heart breaking to see how Christ suffered, even though He knew this was to be His lot in this world. 

Good Friday always makes me reflective, to look inward, to be with Jesus as He is arrested and nailed to the cross. To be at His feet as He is suffering. I still go about my day, but I think of Him always. When the clouds rolled in around 3pm, I knew it
was the hour of His death. The universe cries. The world cries. I cry. I made a simple post on Facebook. "It is finished" with the image I have shared here. That was it. Nothing more. Just those three words. There really wasn't anything more to be said. John 19:28 sums it all up "After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled...."

As I read through the Passion, I find it interesting how Pontius Pilate did not think Jesus guilty. When the people chanted "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!", Pilate really
wanted no part in it "take Him yourselves and crucify Him. I find no guilt in Him" (Jn 19:6,NAB). But, Pilate buckled under the pressure. He was reminded that if he fell inline with Jesus, if he declined to have Him crucified, then he would also be seen as an enemy of Caesar. He wasn't brave enough to risk the consequences. How many of us have done that? Seen something wrong, but stayed silent for fear of repurcussions? I'm sure it is something we are all guilty of, including me. It takes a great deal of courage to stand up for what you believe in, for what you see is an injustice. It's so much easier to just go with the crowd. I'm sure in Pilate's case, it had to have caused him many a sleepless night. 

I hope, in whatever you have done today, you were mindful of the solemnity of the day. I hope you made some sort of action in acknowledging Jesus's death. It doesn't have to be anything grand. It could be as simple as what I did today. And, I hope, dear reader, that in whatever you did today, you were a nice human. 😇

Father Bill's reflection for today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7sepV2EJpU

I am sharing this version of "Lead Me To The Cross" because it really makes you realize what Jesus went through. ***I will warn you ahead of time,it is quite graphic. It is taken from the movie "The Passion". I still have a difficult time watching it. But, isn't that the whole point of our faith? To bear things that are difficult? To face what we do not wish to face? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a2t2_8nRH8