Good
Friday of the Passion of the Lord
Is.52:13-53:12; Ps.31; Heb.4:14-16; 5:7-9; Jn.18:1-19:42
Our
world today is teaching us that happiness can be acquired if we gain
everything. We work hard and earn a living in order to gain more and have a
happy and secured life. As a result, we become selfish and neglect other people’s
needs. Instead of donating to charity, one would rather buy the latest
smartphone. Nevertheless, we realize that despite having everything, there is
still that deep longing inside for that which can really give us authentic joy.
In our
passion narrative taken from the account of John, Jesus is teaching us the way
to happiness. However, his teaching is not easy to accept for it contradicts
what the world has been offering. We heard in the story that Jesus lost
everything! He lost his close friends when they saw the impending danger in
Jesus’ life at the garden of Gethsemane. He lost Peter, his trusted friend,
when he was denied three times for fear of arrest. At the scourging at the
pillar, Jesus lost his “humanity” when people mocked at him and brutally
wounded his body. While carrying his cross, he fell thrice for he lost his
strength. Finally, after hanging on the cross for three hours; forgiving those
who were persecuting him; and entrusting his mother to the disciple; Jesus lost
his life.
Yes,
Jesus was stripped off everything - from
his friends, his dignity, and even his life. As Isaiah, in our first reading
proclaims, “but he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins; upon him
was chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed. We had all
gone astray like a sheep, each following his own way; but the Lord laid upon
him the guilt of us all…because he surrendered himself to death and was counted
among the wicked; and he shall take away the sins of many, and win pardon for
their offenses.” Indeed, when Jesus said in the other part of the Gospel of
John, “I came so that they may have life in abundance,” such coming includes losing
everything so that in the end, we do not just live a half-filled life, but a
life in abundance of grace and mercy.
We call
this day, “Good Friday” because today, we have received something very good –
through the passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, we gained heaven! We
claimed eternity! We also call this day, “Mahal
na Araw” because the price Jesus paid for us to regain heaven was very
expensive (mahal) for it caused his
very life.
This
year we are celebrating the Year of the Poor. And this is what the poor is
teaching us. When we look at them, we see that they too have lost everything.
They have lost their right to a decent living, to good nutrition and healthy
lifestyle, to voice out their clamors, to live freely like you and me. However,
despite their nothingness, we can still see happy poor people. After Yolanda
struck the Visayas, many suffering poor continue to exhibit warm smiles of joy.
Many still gathered together to celebrate the Mass despite being surrounded by
misery and pain. The reason for this is because they have Jesus who has been
their priceless treasure regardless of their nothingness. Such was the life of
Jesus too, while hanging on the cross and slowly losing everything, he remained
strong because he knew that he was doing the will of his Father.
In this
Good Friday of 2015, let us learn from the poor, who do not have everything,
yet, continue to experience joy because they have all, Jesus. As we meditate on
the passion and death of Jesus, may we learn from him that we need to lose
everything especially sin in order for us to gain heaven and claim eternity.
And so,
let our responsorial psalm be our prayer today, “Father, into your hands I
commend my spirit.” Amen!
Photo courtesy of the-works.net
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