Once we open ourselves to the reading of these texts our understanding of what our lives are about and what it means to be human also changes (Image by congerdesign from Pixabay)
For centuries there have been Christian people who have celebrated this day because they know we are talking about the death of Jesus Christ, Son of God. He is the one who died, was buried and then rose from the dead on the third day.
What does it mean to us this year? Are we able to absorb something of the importance of this day? What do we believe? What part of the story appeals to us, challenges us or encourages us. How are we touched by the reading of the story on this day?
On Palm Sunday we are prepared for Good Friday because in the Mass on that day we hear the story from the beginning with Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Then we have the Last Supper, the agony of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane on Thursday evening followed by Good Friday. We find ourselves being touched by the story of the Son of God.
For those of us who read the Bible we know that there are four Gospels all of which have their own version of the events of Jesus’ last days. Ever since these Gospels were written back in the first century after the death of Jesus, the Christian community read and re-read them. The story of the death of Jesus, the Son of God, is central to our understanding not only of what happened to Jesus, but it also shapes our understanding of God. Once we open ourselves to the reading of these texts our understanding of what our lives are about and what it means to be human also changes.
My question for myself is what about Good Friday this year? Am I ready to listen to the story being read in the church? Will I take some time during this week to read it myself? Do I expect to be touched by the text? Do I expect to find something new in the Gospels that impacts my understanding of me?
In this reflection we look into the dialogue between Jesus and God. What do the Father and the Son say to each other according to the four Gospels? I think there is more to what the writers of the Gospel have to say than I have been able to discover so far.
Reading from St Luke’s Gospel we read that Jesus says, “Father forgive them; they do not know what they are doing.” Before these words, Luke very bluntly says that Jesus was crucified along with two other men but there is no description of how much pain Jesus was in; there is no criticism of the men who did the crucifying. But Jesus explains their behaviour, “They do not know what they are doing.”
Jesus is concerned not about himself but those who are killing him. He knows that the Father is a loving God. He knows that he himself is loved by his Father and that the Father also loves those who are doing the killing. So he asks his Father to forgive them. This intimacy between the Father and the Son is clearly seen as they work together for the good of those responsible for the crucifixion. It is not just those on Calvary that day, it is also about those who judged him earlier in the day and those who could not accept him and were against him throughout his life here on earth.
We know and believe that the Father did forgive them and not only them but all of us who need to be healed of our sinfulness. The Son of God is concerned about our own ignorance of what we are doing and so he prays for all of God’s family by saying “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing”.
In the Gospel of St Mark, Jesus says, “My God, My God why have you deserted me?” Many writers have pointed out just how terrible this experience can be. In recent times, St Teresa of Calcutta shared that for quite a long time she had suffered from an experience like this. Like St Therese of Lisieux she no longer had the comfort of a closeness to God which had been hers for most of her life.
These few words are taken from Psalm 22:1 and as commentators have pointed out, while this Psalm starts off with these words, by the end, the psalmist is rejoicing in the great gifts God will provide.
What can we take from what Jesus says in Mark’s Gospel? That Jesus is suffering is obvious but there is the deep dark experience of being deserted. I do not have any answer for the “why” of it, but what is clear is that in this time of great suffering Jesus still feels close to his Father in that he asks “why”. Note that he sees the Father as the one who has taken the initiative by leaving. He does not blame himself or anyone else, but he sees it as the Father’s work. He knows that the Father is the one who leads us and guides us through life, so he feels bold enough to ask the Father why this is happening to him.
Both of these verses speak of the closeness an intimacy, of the relationship between the Father and the Son. This is true not just of what happened on that day two millenniums ago, it continues to be true for eternity. The life of Jesus reveals the Trinity from baptism to the cross. It also shows us how we are taken up into the same life of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, even in times of struggle, abandonment and separation.
Let us pray that the meaning of Good Friday may be revealed to each of us so that we can give praise and thanks to our loving God.
Columban Fr Trevor Trotter lives and works at St Columban's, Essendon.
