Good Friday | Friday 7 April 2023

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Today is Good Friday, the 7th of April.

Juliano Ravanello sings, ‘Hino Cristologico’. Based on the words of Philippians 2:5-11:

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

who, though he was in the form of God,

did not regard equality with God

as something to be exploited,

but emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave,

being born in human likeness.

And being found in human form,

he humbled himself

and became obedient to the point of death—

even death on a cross.

As you prepare to pray with today’s scene of the Crucifixion, begin making your way towards Golgotha, the Place of the Skull, in your mind’s eye now…

Jesus Cristo e o Senhor

Para a Gloria de Deus Pai

Nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo

De natureza divina

Nao exigiu ser tratado

Na qualidade de Deus

Mas despojou-se ele mesmo

Tomando a forma de servo

Igual aos homens sem tudo

E simples homem julgado

Quis humilhar-se a si proprio

E obediente mostrou-se

Ate a morte de cruz

E por isso Deus o exaltou

E o destituiu como homem

Que todo homem supera

Ao nome pois de Jesus

Todo joelho se dobre

No ceu, na terra e sob a Terra

E toda lingua proclame

Para o esplendor de Deus Pai

Que Jesus Cristo e o Senhor

Jesus Cristo e o Senhor

Para a Gloria de Deus Pai

Jesus Christ is The Lord

For the Glory of God the Father

Our Lord Jesus Christ

Of divine nature

Did not demand to be treated

in the quality of God

But he stripped himself

Taking the form of a servant

Just like men without everything

And simple man judged

I wanted to humiliate myself

And obediently showed

to the death of the cross

And for this God exalted him

And dismissed him as a man

That every man overcomes

To the name of Jesus

Every knee bow

In heaven, on earth and under the earth

And every tongue proclaim

To the splendor of God the Father

That Jesus Christ is Lord

Jesus Christ is The Lord

For the Glory of God the Father

Today’s reading is from the Gospel of John.

John 19:16-30

Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.

So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.’ Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, ‘Do not write, “The King of the Jews”, but, “This man said, I am King of the Jews.”’ Pilate answered, ‘What I have written I have written.’ When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another, ‘Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.’ This was to fulfil what the scripture says,

‘They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.’ And that is what the soldiers did.

Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, here is your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfil the scripture), ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, ‘It is finished.’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

This is such a terrible part of the Jesus story that we are often struck dumb, left without words or even accessible feelings or thoughts before the dreadful finality of his death. Yet still he tries to communicate love and compassion. Perhaps at this moment all we can do is stand at the foot of the cross.

With his dying breath Jesus gives to his beloved disciple and to all of us the gift of his mother’s presence to treasure. What does it mean to take her into your home and draw strength from her? What conversations might John and Mary have had in later years about this moment and this choice?

This story combines political manipulation, physical brutality and tender love. As we repeat some of it, where do you find yourself wanting to linger, or is the temptation to run away and escape?

We know that this is not the end of Jesus’ life in us, but in some sense the beginning. Ignatius encourages us to go down into the tomb with Jesus and live the reality of his death. Perhaps you can do the same and spend time with him now at the moment of his death.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.