Homily - Good Friday - The Celebration of the Lord's Passion

Homily (Sermon)

The Easter Triduum - Good Friday

“It is accomplished" and bowing his head he gave up the spirit.




The Readings for Good Friday - The celebration of the Lord's passion:

Isaiah 52:13 -53:12
Psalm 30
Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9
John 18:1 – 19:42

[These readings can be found at www.universalis.com for the next few week.]

Easter has been simplified and commercialised by the world around us. The rich history, the thousands of years of tradition, the mystery of Easter is lost, drowned out by bunnies, eggs and chocolate.

Mystery is an interesting word; do you know what it means?
It can mean a puzzle, something unknown, it can also be a type of novel like those written by Agatha Christie, but when we use it to describe the paschal mystery then it doesn't mean something we don’t know, it means almost the opposite, it means “a truth that is unknowable except by divine revelation.”

Easter is divine revelation! Easter is God showing Himself to us!

At Easter we join Christ as we celebrate his passion, death and resurrection. God is revealing to us a truth, a powerful truth, the single truth, Himself. Yesterday we met Christ at the last supper, we traveled with Him to the garden of Gethsemane, we waited with Him and prayed with Him and tried to stay awake with Him.

Today we die with Him. Today is quiet day. A day to reflect on death.A day to reflect on our sin. A day to reflect on where we would be if Christ was not in our lives. Today we reflect on the great sacrifice Christ made for us. On the things in our lives that required Him to make that sacrifice for us. Today we die with Christ, we die to sin, we suffer with Him, we look to the crosses in our own lives that we must bear.

Tomorrow we will see, know, and feel the full mystery, the revelation. But for now it is Christ’s death that is important. We call today Good Friday. I am often asked why it is good. It’s good because Christ, God’s Son, High Priest came to offer a permanent sacrifice for our sins. He needed to sacrifice something perfect; something so opposite to sin and the only thing that fitted that description was Himself. Christ took the role of High Priest and the role of sacrifice. He offered Himself for us. He gave up His life for his friends. The sin of Adam destroyed completely by the blood of Christ.

Today is good because we know the end of the story; we know about the resurrection, we know about the difference Christ makes in our daily lives. But the Easter Triduum is about the journey with Christ, today on that journey we see the cross. The tree that Christ was nailed too, the tree that he was lifted up on for all to see, the tree he was slowly and painfully crucified on, the tree on which he died.

Today is about joining Mary and John at the base of the cross and watching our Lord Jesus die, for us.

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About the Author - Deacon John Scanlon
Homily Index

Athletes crossing themselves before a race

I saw a tweet about the Olympics last week which read, “As soon as anyone crosses themselves before a race I'm sucked in and want them to win.” It made me smile, because I also feel an affinity to someone I see crossing themselves. I think the affinity comes from knowing they are part of my Christian family, they are strong enough in their faith to offer themselves and their race (if racing is their sport) to God. I don't think for a second that God will favour them in the race against any other competitor and I don't think that is the reason why athletes cross themselves.

To give of yourself, to be a witness for Christ, to put God at the forefront of our thoughts is what all Christian's are challenged to do. The public display of the cross achieves all these, and I am instantly drawn to that person as a sister or brother in Christ.

But taking that thought on, when do I cross myself? Do I offer each post on this blog to Christ before I type it? Do I offer each day to Christ as I leave the house? Would I cross myself at work before going into an important meeting? And if I don't why don't I? Is the faith of the athlete stronger than mine, or different to mine?

I think it's good to ask these questions of ourselves. To react to the example of other Christians around us. To challenge ourselves and ultimately to come to a stronger relationship with Christ.

As a Deacon I am called to offer the daily prayer of the Church, the Divine Office, each morning and evening. This prayer starts and finishes with the sign of the cross. Part of the office is a hymn or poem and one of my favourites which I use often is the Prayer of Saint Patrick's Breastplate. The words of the poem bring to my mind the same emotion as the physical action of crossing myself, the poem puts into words the strengthening that prayer brings, a strengthening that is essential to living life with Christ, a strength that can only come from God, from the Trinity.

I'll leave you with the words of the poem, and a thank you for the lady who's tweet made me think about the cross. Thank you Jo-Anne, may God bless you the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Prayer of Saint Patrick's Breastplate

I bind unto myself today

The strong Name of the Trinity,

By invocation of the same,

The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this day to me for ever.

By power of faith, Christ's incarnation;

His baptism in the Jordan river;

His death on Cross for my salvation;

His bursting from the spicèd tomb;

His riding up the heavenly way;

His coming at the day of doom

I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself today

The power of God to hold and lead,

His eye to watch, His might to stay,

His ear to hearken to my need.

The wisdom of my God to teach,

His hand to guide, His shield to ward,

The word of God to give me speech,

His heavenly host to be my guard.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,

Christ behind me, Christ before me,

Christ beside me, Christ to win me,

Christ to comfort and restore me.

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,

Christ in hearts of all that love me,

Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,

The strong Name of the Trinity;

By invocation of the same.

The Three in One, and One in Three,

Of Whom all nature hath creation,

Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:

Praise to the Lord of my salvation,

Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

                                   Amen.