HOMILY FOR THE GOOD FRIDAY.
THEME: “There is no greater love, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
BY: Fr. Diotacious Chikontwe SMA.
*READINGS OF THE DAY*
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Hebrews 4:14-16,5:7-9
John 18:1-19:42
*LITURGICAL COLOUR*
RED
*INTRODUCTION*
Dear friends in Christ, today we commemorate the Good Friday. The only day of the year when we gather together at three o’clock in the afternoon. We do so by remembering the crucifixion of Jesus on the cross, because, according to the gospels, Jesus died at three in the afternoon on a Friday. It is also the only day in the year when we do not celebrate Mass. Instead, in sorrow, the Church mourns her Master’s death and reverences the Cross on which our salvation was achieved.
*WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THE GOOD FRIDAY LITURGY?*
Todays liturgy reminds us on how we can welcome our crosses as Jesus did for the atonement of our sins and those of others: We may have been crucified several times and betrayed by our dear ones. We may have been misunderstood in the most calculated and deliberate of ways by those whom we trusted and loved. We may have been forced to take up the cross for others several times. We may have felt forsaken and abandoned on several occasions. The question we should ask ourselves on Good Friday is whether we have accepted these painful experiences gracefully from a loving God and offered all these painful occasions as atonement for our sins and for the sins of our dear ones. By dying on the cross Jesus embraced human suffering. So, when we are troubled and in distress, we can turn to him in confidence that he will be with us. Jesus unites his cross with our own and calls upon us to share in the sufferings of others. This means we are to bear one another’s burdens, just as Christ has carried our burdens. That’s one way we can show that we have accepted Christ’s precious gift.
RELATED: HOMILY FOR GOOD FRIDAY.
*CONCLUSION*
Contemplating Jesus on the cross brings comfort and resilience and strength to those who need it. And it reminds us that it is through his suffering that everyone and everything is redeemed, that the power and the presence and promise of God are now accessible to us in our suffering and in our need. Contemplating Jesus on the Cross reminds us that in our present frail and redeemed bodies we carry the saving power of God. Kiss the cross on Good Friday, not for God’s sake but for your own.
*BLESSINGS OF THE DAY*
May all of us remain strong in our faith, commitment and dedication to Our Lord, even as we encounter many challenges and trials in our path. May God bless us all in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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