Good Friday of the Lord's Passion
“Have you ever felt like nobody was there?
Have you ever felt forgotten in the middle of nowhere?
Have you ever felt like you could disappear?
Like you could fall, and no one would hear?”
These lyrics from “You Will Be Found” by Ben Platt (in the musical Dear Evan Hansen) and a collaborative arrangement of the same song along with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Tonight” (from the musical Hamilton) came to mind as I reflected on our readings for today. By the end, both songs are anthems of hope and reminders of the power of relationship.
Have you ever felt alone, like no one understood what you were going through, whether it was positive or negative, physical or emotional, based on culture, family, work, or finances? Like no one could possibly relate or empathize? In the first reading, Isaiah describes a man who “was spurned and avoided by people, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity” (Is 53:3a) and then reminds us that “it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured… he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins; upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed” (4-5). Jesus understands. Today, Jesus goes to the depths of loneliness – abandoned by all of his friends - plunged into the trenches of forsakenness and suffering. Even if no one else around us understands, we are made whole and healed because Jesus endured our sufferings and continues to do so, right alongside us. If we feel “forgotten like the unremembered dead” or “like a dish that is broken,” (Ps. 31:13), we need only remember the words of St. Paul, “for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses” (Heb 4:15a).
I imagine that Pilate felt pretty alone. We read in today’s Gospel about how he tried, multiple times, to release Jesus and to understand Jesus, but no one else cared or would listen. As we walk through the Passion of our Lord and, eventually, enter the boundless joy of Easter, let us remember to listen to one another. By truly, deeply listening with an attitude of curiosity and openness, perhaps we can better understand those around us. We can share our own stories and hear the stories of those who are different from us. May we sense Jesus’ constant presence with us and work to be more fully present to one another.
Every morning, we awake to a new day, a new opportunity to embrace Christ. With Jesus, we are not alone, we will never be abandoned. Even at the end, in his darkest hour, he gave us another opportunity for connection and relationship with Mary, as our Mother. 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. As we “tell the story of tonight… Reach out your hand and someone will come running… they’ll take you home… you will be found.”
Peace,
LeeAnn Meyer