Good Friday: Passion and Death of Our Lord

Dear Good Friday People of Epiphany 

Passione et Morte Domini 
Mercy was Nailed, but not Defeated: By His Death, We are Made Alive 

Good Friday: Passion and Death of Our Lord, John 18:1-19:42, (18 April 2025) 

At the end of his dramatic Passion narrative, the Evangelist Saint Mark tells us: “The centurion, who stood fac-ing him, saw that he thus breathed his last, and said: ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’” (Mark 15:39). We cannot fail to be surprised by the profession of faith of this Roman soldier, who had been present throughout the various phases of the Crucifixion. When the darkness of night was falling on that Friday so unlike any other in history, when the sacrifice of the Cross was already consummated and the bystanders were making haste to celebrate the Jewish Passover in the usual way, these few words, wrung from the lips of a nameless command-er in the Roman army, resounded through the silence that surrounded that most singular death. Hanging from the Cross on Golgotha was a man who was already dead, but that man was acknowledged to be the “Son of God” by the centurion, “on seeing that he thus breathed his last”, as the Evangelist specifies. (Pope Benedict XVI, Good Friday, Way of the Cross, Collosseum, 2009) 

Dear parishioners, today, we stand at the foot of the Cross. We gather in silence, in awe, and in sorrow as we contemplate the suffering and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the day when love was crucified, when mercy was poured out, and when the greatest act of redemption was accomplished. Today, we find ourselves at the foot of the Cross, where heaven and earth meet in the most profound mystery of love. This is a day of sorrow, yet also a day of victory. a day of suffering, yet also of redemption. 

On this solemn day, Christ, the innocent Lamb, embraces the full weight of human sin. He is betrayed, mocked, scourged, and crucified. The world sees defeat, but in the eyes of faith, we see the greatest act of love ever revealed. The Cross is not a tragedy; it is the throne from which Christ reigns, offering salvation to all. The Cross, though a symbol of suffering, becomes the throne of Christ’s triumph over sin and death. 

It is related in the annals of Clairvaux that St. Bernard asked Our Lord which was His greatest unrecorded suffering and that Our Lord answered: “I had on my shoulder while I bore My cross on the Way of Sorrows a grievous wound which was more painful than the others which is not recorded by men. Honor this wound with devotion, and I will grant thee whatsoever thou dost ask through its virtue and merit, and in return to all who venerate this wound I will remit to them all their venial sins and will no longer remember their mortal sins.” 

Jesus of Nazareth underwent Jewish and Roman trials, was flogged, and was sentenced to death by crucifix-ion. The scourging produced deep stripe like lacerations and appreciable blood loss, and it probably set the stage for hypovolemic shock, as evidenced by the fact that Jesus was too weakened to carry the crossbar (patibulum) to Golgo-tha. At the site of crucifixion, his wrists were nailed to the patibulum and, after the patibulum was lifted onto the up-right post (stipes), his feet were nailed to the stipes. The major pathophysiologic effect of crucifixion was an interfer-ence with normal respirations. Accordingly, death resulted primarily from hypovolemic shock and exhaustion asphyx-ia. Jesus’ death was ensured by the thrust of a soldier’s spear into his side. Modern medical interpretation of the his-torical evidence indicate that Jesus was dead when taken down from the cross. 

At the crucifixion, a young soldier, Longinus, thrust a spear into the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Water spilled forth, washing Longinus, and Blood followed, giving Longinus the grace of conversion. Having been touched by the healing contents of Our Lord’s Sacred Heart, Longinus became a martyr, giving up his own life for the One he helped crucify. Longinus opened a Door into the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This Door stands open, ready to receive all. We each have many opportunities to cross this threshold, to enter this Door, to be immersed in the Love within. How we respond to that invitation is dependent on how much we love. This Door can be wide, but it is often hard to pass through. 

The Suffering of Christ and Its Meaning 

In Isaiah’s prophecy, we hear: “He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; the punish-ment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds, we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). 

Jesus’ Passion was not an accident or a tragedy beyond His control. He willingly took upon Himself the burden of our sins. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39). His obedience to the Father’s will led Him to the Cross, where He bore the full weight of human sin. 

We must ask ourselves: What does this suffering mean for us? The Cross is not just an event of the past; it speaks to us today. Christ’s Passion reveals the seriousness of sin, but even more, it reveals the depth of God’s love. Jesus did not suffer for His own sake but for ours. Every wound, every humiliation, every nail driven into His flesh was an act of love—a love that saves. 

The Last Words of Jesus: A Message for Our Lives 

As Jesus hung on the Cross, He spoke seven final words. Each of these words is a lesson for us: 

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34): Even in suffering, Jesus offers for-giveness. Can we forgive those who wrong us? Today, you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43): To the repent-ant thief, Jesus promises eternal life. No sin is too great for His mercy: “Woman, behold your son. Son, behold your mother.” (John 19:26-27): In His final moments, Jesus gives us Mary as our mother. Do we entrust ourselves to her care? “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46): In His suffering, Jesus identifies with human despair, yet He never loses faith: “I thirst.” (John 19:28) More than physical thirst, Jesus thirsts for our love and salva-tion: “It is finished.” (John 19:30): The work of redemption is complete. The debt of sin is paid: “Father, into Your hands, I commend My spirit.” (Luke 23:46): A perfect act of surrender and trust in God’s plan. 

The Cross and Our Response 

Good Friday calls us to conversion. The Cross is not just something to admire; it demands a response. Are we willing to take up our own crosses and follow Jesus? Are we willing to die to sin so that we may rise with Christ? The world often sees suffering as meaningless, but in Christ, suffering is redemptive. Our own trials, when united to His Cross, become pathways to holiness. Today, as we venerate the Cross, let us remember that it is through the Cross that we are saved. 

The Silence Before the Victory and the Dawn of Hope 

Dear Epiphany, as we leave this solemn day in silence, we do so with hope. Good Friday is not the end of the story. The tomb will not hold Him. Death will not have the final word. The light of Easter is coming. But first, we must pass through the Cross. May we embrace the mystery of the Cross, so that, when the dawn of the Resurrection comes, we may share in the joy of Christ’s victory. 

A faith that is reduced to personal salvation and future bliss falls tragically short of Christ’s call. Such a belief is not only self-centered but contradicts the very nature of the Gospel. The cross is not an escape route from suffer-ing; it is an invitation into a life of self-giving love. Jesus does not offer us a faith of complacency, where we assent to ideas and await heaven. Instead, He calls us to a radical discipleship that refuses self-preservation and embraces cost-ly love. 

Good Friday shatters illusions of comfortable faith. Christ confronts our selfishness, exposes our complicity in the brokenness of the world, and challenges us to love even our enemies. Yet, He does not leave us in despair-He opens the way to transformation. Through the cross, He invites us into a new kind of life, marked by authenticity, generosity, and the courage to love as He loves. To follow Christ is to walk the way of the cross, knowing that beyond it lies the resurrection life-a life of true abundance, shaped by the power of redeeming love: 

Behold the Lamb, bruised but blameless: His wounds, our healing. His cross, our Covering! 
Crowned with Thorns, enthroned on a Tree: He reigned in surrender to redeem the World! 
He Drank the Cup the Father gave: Love obeyed unto death, that we might Live! 
He bore the Silence of Heaven, so We could hear Grace Forever! 
Behold the Wood of the Cross, on which hung the Salvation of the World. 
Come, let us Adore! 

Fraternally, 
Fr. John Peter Lazaar SAC, Pastor