Good Friday of the Passion of the Lord

Yesterday, we began the celebration of the great Paschal Triduum - the celebration of the most central mysteries of our Christian faith. The Passion, death and resurrection of Christ. We follow with Jesus from the Last Supper to the Garden of Gethsemane. We journey the road to Calvary and wait at the sealed tomb. We greet the new morning of Resurrection and ponder the empty grave.

 
Today is a difficult day.  We witness the hurried and unjust trial of Jesus.  It's almost unbearable to hear Simon Peter deny Jesus.  We cry out, "Crucify him!  Crucify him!"   Jesus is mocked and beaten and forced to carry his cross.  Jesus dies.  He is placed in a tomb...cold...silent...dark.  This, too, is probably how we feel - a chill goes through us, we are left in silence, darkness fills our heart.  It is almost unbearable and doesn't seem that it can get any worse, but...

...then we remember Jesus saying, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do."  In the Gospel of Luke, it seems that Jesus directs this comment towards the soldiers that are hammering in the nails and jeering at him.  But, I wonder if it isn't directed towards us.  After all, Jesus died for our sins.  By his sacrifice we are healed.  Father, forgive us, for we know not what we do.  But even in our ignorance, even if we don't grasp the full importance of what is happening, we hear the words "Forgive them."  In that hour of most need, in that hour of pain and anguish, of chill and darkness, Jesus thinks of us and says "I forgive you."

While the crucifixion is horrible in itself, I am often haunted by the image of Jesus being stripped of his clothing.  It is an act of extreme humiliation.  (Just think of having that weird dream when you show up on the first day of school in only your 'birthday suit.')  It is an act that puts Jesus at his most vulnerable, his whole life literally bared naked before all to see.  He really empties himself because all - his clothing, his dignity in the eyes of the world, and ultimately his very life - is taken away. 

But it is exactly that emptiness, that humiliation, that vulnerability to which Jesus invites us by his simple utterance "Forgive them."  St. Basil writes, "Jesus dies on the cross so that we could be saved by imitation of him, and recover our original status as children of God by adoption.  To attain holiness, then, we must not only pattern our lives on Christ's by being gentle, humble and patient, we must also imitate him in his death."  Just as Jesus did while hanging on the cross, we too must say "I forgive you" to those who have hurt us, crucified us, stripped us, buried us.  If we want to follow Jesus, we need to follow him to the very end, emptying ourselves of pride and ego, and being willing to say "Father, forgive them."

Of course, this is never easy.  In fact, in my own life, I am having great difficulty saying "I forgive you" to someone.  Even in prayer, with only God and myself, it is extremely difficult to utter those three, short words.  But we are reminded that it is the path of discipleship, it is the path of Jesus, the path that we are called to walk.  Jesus never said it would be easy, but he did promise us that he would be with us all the way.  Yes, he is with us even on the cross.  He is looking down on us and giving us the greatest gift - that of freedom by forgiveness of our sins.

(This is a painting by Marianist Bro. Charles Wanda, SM.  I love the perspective - of Jesus looking down upon his Mother and the Beloved Disciple.  Can we see ourselves in the scene as Jesus saw us?)

Today we are confronted with a most difficult scene in the Paschal Mystery of Christ.  Maybe the most difficult part is to hear the words "I forgive you" knowing that we must also utter those words in our own lives.  Let us pray that we might follow the example of Jesus who has forgiven us.  That we too might cry out, "Father, forgive them," letting the beautiful and forgiving words of Jesus become our own.

Blessed Triduum, my friends.

Behold the Cross

Holy Thursday
Good Friday
Holy Saturday
Easter Sunday

The San Damiano Cross in the Basilica of Santa Chiara, Assisi

The celebration of the Paschal Triduum continues today.  Once again, our liturgy is hauntingly beautiful.  The church is bare.  In some places, the statues are covered.  The ministers prostrate themselves before the altar.  We hear Scripture.  Prayers are offered for all peoples of the world.  No mass is celebrated.

Crucifixion at the Church of Sagrada Familia in Barcelona

But, perhaps, most importantly, we gather around the cross.  We hear the story of the cross of Jesus in the Passion Narrative from John.  We chant "Behold the wood of the Cross, on which hung the salvation of the world.  Come, let us adore."  As we leave the church in silence, the cross remains.

"Crucifixion" by He Qi

Today, we are invited to stay at the cross, to look upon the cross, to behold the cross.  But, we know that this is not easy.  The cross is a sign of destruction, a method of torture and death.  It's gruesome, in fact.  It just doesn't seem right, does it, to look upon it.  The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke seem to tell us the same thing.  There is no mention of Jesus' closest friends, his disciples, staying with him.  There are only a few women, but they are off in the distance.  No one is close.  It's as if Jesus' only companions in this hour of greatest need are the two thieves crucified beside him, and one is mocking him!

"Pieta" from Anguillara, Italy

Fortunately, the Gospel of John gives us some hope.  We hear that standing by the foot of the cross are his Mother, the Beloved Disciple, and a few women.  Still, not the crowd of followers who had earlier done everything they could to witness a miracle or hear his teachings.  But, Mary and the Beloved Disciple had the courage to stay at the cross, to behold the salvation of the world.  It has been said that Mary's presence at the foot of the cross is the confirmation of her "Fiat" spoken at the Annunciation.  When the angel announced to Mary that she would be the mother of Jesus, her response was "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord.  Let it be done unto me according to your word."  In that moment, she said "yes" to all that God would do in her life, even seeing her only son die on the cross.  And yet, she stayed, she accepted it all.  Again, in the person of Mary, we see Marianist Stability.  We are called to stay at the foot of the cross, to embrace the cross even when it is difficult.  Luckily, we have the gift of community to support us and be with us, just as Mary and the Beloved Disciple had each other. 

"Three O'clock Icon" in the Marianist Generalate

So, today, we have a choice.  Who will we be like?  Will we stand at the cross like Mary and the Beloved Disciple?  Will we run away, or at best, just stay at a distance?  The choice is not easy.  We know what the cross entails.  But as people of faith, we also know the ultimate meaning of the cross - the salvation and life of the world.  Let us try to embody what the third antiphon from Lauds says today:

We worship your cross, O Lord,
and we praise and glorify your holy resurrection,
for the wood of the cross
has brought joy to the world.

"Behold the Wood of the Cross" by Dan Schutte

Blessed Triduum, my friends.

Ciao!

The disciple took her into his home.

Holy Thursday
Good Friday
Paschal Vigil
Easter Sunday

Today we continue our liturgical celebration of the Paschal Triduum - the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus - with the Commemoration of the Passion of the Lord.  We recall the Crucifixion of Jesus on Calvary. I am always struck by the simplicity of the service.  It begins and ends in silence.  The altar and sanctuary are bare, devoid of any unnecessary adornment.  There is typically very little music.  We simply gather around the cross to pray, to listen, and to be with each other as we remember one of the greatest mysteries of our faith.  It is this last point, that of coming together, that resonates with me this year.

In all honesty, the story we hear is not pleasant.  There is betrayal and denial, striking and scourging and torturing of a human person, an angry mob yelling, "Crucify him," humiliation, and death.  There is no denying that we hear a story of unspeakable brutality.  It is not surprising, then, that we need to come together to support each other and be with each other as we listen to the events of that dark day so many years ago.  But, I also think that we come together because this was Jesus' last great commandment and gift before dieing.  He reminds us of our need to be with and for each other, and he shows us the way to do it.  Once again, we are given an example to follow, and this brings us hope and leads us to community.

Nailed on the cross, Jesus sees his mother and the disciple whom he loved.  Looking at them, he says, "Woman, behold, your son,” and then, “Behold, your mother.”  In this moment, it is as if he is saying, "You are not alone.  Remember that you have each other."  This text seems to be more than just a devoted son making plans for the welfare of his mother.  Both Mary and the Beloved Disciple are given a mandate from Jesus on the cross to continue the proclamation of the Reign of God, and they are to undertake this mission together.  But, this directive is not only given to Mary and the Disciple; it is given to all of us.  In a symbolic way, all of us are there at Calvary when Jesus reminds us we are not alone.  First, we have Mary as our companion who will form us in her maternal womb as she once formed Jesus.  And then we also have each other.  The mission of Jesus cannot continue only through the Beloved Disciple, but through all of us who are beloved of God.  Together, as a community, we go out into the world, proclaiming the death of the Lord, but also proclaiming that death (as we know) will not have the final answer.  This is difficult work, but it is not our work to accomplish alone.  

Last weekend, on Palm Sunday, we heard another account of the Passion (from the Gospel of Luke).  In this account we hear that the crowd, the soldiers, and one of the thieves jeered at Jesus on the cross saying, "Save yourself!"  Yet, Jesus did not heed their suggestion.  He does not save himself, but in this act of ultimate love, he saves the world, he saves you and me.  As I reflected yesterday, Jesus forgot himself, emptied himself, took the lowest place  in order that we might have life.  He put our interests before his own so that we might live together in the Reign of God.  Once again, Jesus gives us an example to follow.  By becoming a servant for others, we become FOR the others.  We are able to bring life to them and also to find life for ourselves.  

Invitation, sharing, giving, and the Reign of God.  These are the backbones of community.  As we look upon the cross today, perhaps we can see community formed by the outstretched arms of Jesus, the loving embrace of the world, and the giving of self to others.  Maybe we can see empathy - Jesus taking on our sins and frailty, walking in our shoes and calling us to do the same with others.  We can see the tender gaze of Jesus' eyes on us, calling us into community with him, with his mother, and with each other.  

This great Paschal Triduum brings us to sadness and loneliness, but also to hope and community.  Let us pray that we might hear the words and see the example of Jesus on the cross.  To take each other into our homes.  To give our lives for each other.  To build community.  To find new life from death.

Blessings on your Triduum!


Ciao!


Description of photos: (from top to bottom) The Crucifixion by Niccolo dall'Arca in Bologna (I particularly like the representation of the carpenter on the far left who made the cross); Scene from the Gospel of John that is in the entryway of the community where I live; back of the ambo from the Church of St. Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo; Cross from the outdoor Church of St. Pio in San Giovanni Rotonodo.