Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion
When I was in college, I was fortunate to be taught how to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, the daily prayer of the Church. Through the years, I garnered a deep appreciation for the meditative dialogue and encounter with scripture found in the practice. One of my favorite prayers is the psalm found in night prayer which we hear a version of today:
Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
- Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
You have redeemed us, Lord God of truth.
- I commend my spirit.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit
- Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
Though we read the passion from the gospel of John today, the psalm response is drawn from Luke’s gospel using the final words of Christ before he breathed his last: Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Lk 23:46). We are shown the ultimate example of obedience, of trust in God. “Christ became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8). We can trust in the Father; surrender ourselves to the will of God. This, of course, is not an easy task, especially considering the egocentric culture that bears down around us. However, every morning, we awake to a new day, a new opportunity to take up our cross(es) and follow Christ. With Jesus, we are not alone, we will never be abandoned. Each moment of struggle, frustration, anguish, pain, and likewise every experience of joy, happiness, and peace is an invitation to call upon the name of Jesus.
On this day, the glory of our good God is found on the cross. The image of the crucified Christ–though it be stark, grim, grotesque, horrifying– is that of God’s great love. We are loved unconditionally. Jesus shows us the way to the Father. He grants us freedom from our sins and a path to everlasting life. Do we believe in the crucifixion and trust in this outpouring of grace? Do we have faith in blood and water which gushed forth from the heart of Jesus as a fountain of mercy for us?
We stand at the foot of the cross with Mary and the beloved disciple, called to proclaim the good news. We know what is to come; we live for the hope of the resurrection. Yet, today let us be present to the darkness and grief; sit with the pain and confusion; reflect on suffering in our own lives and in that of the crucified Christ. On this Good Friday, may we revel in appreciation at the ransom that was paid by our Lord and savior; at his obedience unto death, even death on a cross.
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you
For by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world. Amen.
Peace,
Brandon Meyer