READINGS: Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion
TRUST JESUS AND THE CROSS BECAUSE THIS IS NOT THE END…
Don’t hang the Cross but Hang on the Cross. This requires a lot of Faith, Hope and Love. This can be summed up in one word = TRUST.
We find this TRUST in Jesus Christ from the very beginning (John 3:16), God so loved the world that he sends ….. Jesus trusted his father’s intention.
The opposite of TRUST is Sin; mis-trust. In the Garden of Eden we find this mis-trust taking place and yet God loved us so much; that finally this sin of mis-trust is wiped away due to the TRUST of Jesus in His Father:
– Not my will but your will be done.
– Into your hands I commend my spirit.
Thus the history of salvation began with the breakdown of TRUST. Original sin is nothing but, not trusting in God. The God who constantly provides for us all.
To rebuild that shattered TRUST– Christ’s life, passion and death on the Cross became a bridge of TRUST; possible for each one of us to return to God, that is true happiness and love. On the cross Jesus is reversing Adam’s lack of trust. Jesus willingly came down, allowed to suffer and die, so as to rebuild that trust.
Thus we can also say the opposite of TRUST is Rust. We will rust in our selfishness, pride, and die to our sins.
When one does not have this TRUST we see a lot of sins that come into our lives and that in the world too.
– Take for example the seven deadly sins
o Pride
o Envy
o Anger
o Sloth
o Avarice
o Gluttony
o Lust
(Besides these you can add some supplementary ones too, like, Ignorance, Denial, Revenge, Lying, Disobedience, Selfishness, Hate, Rejection, Jealousy, Hypocrisy, Neglect…)
– These deadly sins can be removed from us only if we place our TRUST in Jesus, in the Cross….because we find in the Cross (the way of Trust) the ways and means to overcome our sins: because the sin of:
o Pride = in Jesus we see the virtue of HUMILITY (to be persecuted and even stripped and nailed to the Cross for no fault of His. Son of God accepted death even death on a Cross)
o Envy = in Jesus we see the virtue of ADMIRATION (saw good in all and everyone along the way… Jesus’ mother, Veronica, Simon, the weeping women, the thief)
o Anger = in Jesus we see the virtue of FORGIVENESS (Father forgive them…)
o Sloth = in Jesus we see the virtue of ZEAL (To do God’s will, to go up to the cross)
o Avarice = in Jesus we see the virtue of GENEROSITY (Gave us His Mother, gave us Paradise)
o Gluttony = in Jesus we see the virtue of ASCETICISM (not my will; offers up desires for something good)
o Lust = in Jesus we see the virtue of CHASTITY (to love purity above all)
Even when one looks and pay attention to the Passion narrative that we just heard; we find amidst all that happened Jesus TRUSTED his Father totally, as this was the plan for salvation.
Scene: The temple council hall
1. The Jealousy and revenge of the Chief Priests and Scribes- the “holy terrorist” in God’s name- plan to kill JESUS.
2. Judas’ greed for money is more than his love for JESUS- sells GOD for 30 pieces of silver, but lost the Kingdom of GOD – a bad bargain. (40 perfect)
(Jesus did not say anything… he trusted God and allowed scriptures to be fulfilled)
Scene: In Bethany- home of Simon the Leper.
3. Mary Magdalene- the grateful sinner– Much was forgiven her. (every sinner has a past, every saint a future)
Scene: In the Upper room.
4. JESUS- while others are planning his destruction, HE is gifting Himself in the EUCHARIST, as LOVE DIVINE- pure and selfless.
(Trusting His life- his body and blood to be remembered forever to his apostles and to each of us)
Scene: In the garden of Gethsemane
5. The Betrayal by a kiss- the symbol of Love destroyed by Judas.
6. The Courage of JESUS- I AM HE!
Scene: At the High Priest’s palace. The Sanhedrin.
7. The Trial of JESUS- Guilty for being true GOD, – condemned by religion- temple priests.
8. Peter an apostle denies the Master– becomes an atheist- I don’t know the man.
9. The Apostles- absolute cowards– run for their lives, even naked.
(even when Judas betrays this Trust with a Kiss, another denies him and others run away, losing all hope and trust in their Master..; Jesus still continues to TRUST His Father and Himself by saying I AM HE)
Scene: In Pilate’s court
10. The Trial of JESUS- CONDEMNED BY the worst unjust Judgment EVER- Pilate washes his hands.
11. Barabbas is better than JESUS- people choose evil & the devil over GOD.
12. The humiliation of JESUS- GOD mocked as king of the Jews, scourged & crowned with thorns.
(Even in these moments Jesus still continues to speak the TRUTH… it is this Truth (TRUST) that will set you free.)
Scene: On Calvary Hill
13. JESUS, the ALL POWERFUL GOD becomes helpless- helped by a stranger, Simon of Cyrene, father of Alexander and Rufus.
14. JESUS is crucified- a shameless GOD- cannot prove his claims & come down. Rather: JESUS surrenders: “Into your hands I commend my spirit.”
15. The Centurion’s Credo- In truth, this man was a SON OF GOD.
16. The Faithful FEW, led by HIS MOTHER, the youngest Apostle, John and quite a few woman and Joseph of Arimathea, though helpless, stand by JESUS.
(Thus therefore on the Cross he uttered those last words of TRUST; “Into your hands I commend my Spirit.”
Besides Mary, John and the good thief … the first person to understand this TRUST was the Centurion, who said, “In Truth (I Trust), this man was a Son of God.”
TRUST, therefore is nothing but; Truth, Love, Surrender, Dying to self for others, helping the other to rebuild their life.
Trust in JESUS because he constantly says “I AM” (Trust Me), the Way, The Truth and The Life. I will lead you to God my Father.
Scene: At the Sepulcher.
1. JESUS is dead and buried….But it is accomplished- We must wait in HOPE!
2. The RESURRECTION from the dead. Salvation in JESUS for all humankind.
Trust Jesus and the Cross because this is not the end… the fruit of TRUST is RESURRECTION.
Today this very Cross is a sign of Salvation. We are called to carry this Cross and above all to die on this cross. Let us ask Jesus to give us the courage and TRUST to live up to this Cross.
Today and always let us put our TRUST back into the Cross of Christ for through this Cross hung our Salvation.
Let us as we come this evening to Adore the Cross, let us abandon ourselves trustfully in the hands of our Loving Father, be able to carry and die on our cross, knowing that there is always a resurrection to all who DO HIS WILL.
Fr. Franco Pereira, S.D.B.
