Good Friday - March 29, 2024

 Isaiah 52:13—53:12     Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9     John 18:1—19:42

Today the readings focus on the redemptive suffering of Christ. What did this mean to the early Church, and what does it mean today? The Gospel according to John was likely finalized about 60 years after the crucifixion. By then, those who knew Jesus and saw his suffering had time to ponder why his Passion was necessary. Couldn’t our salvation have been accomplished in some other way—perhaps by simple divine fiat?

Jesus’ disciples would have been intimately familiar with today’s first reading. It’s not hard to see why the Church still turns to Isaiah. We get goosebumps when hearing this great prophet’s description of what the Suffering Servant would undergo. Seven hundred years later, early Jewish Christians would have seen the Holy Spirit inspiring Isaiah to foretell Jesus’ crucifixion and explain its meaning.

In today’s second reading, Jesus is portrayed not just as the sacrificial victim, but as the high priest who offers himself as the sacrifice. Still, why did salvation have to happen in such a bloody and painful way? I like the answer St. Thomas Aquinas gives in Summa Theologiae: (1) such an awesome gift motivates us to love God; (2) it shows us how to love; (3) it merits a great reward to Christ and his body, the Church; (4) it moves us to holiness; and (5) it gave great dignity to humanity, for Jesus was one of us. The Passion was not strictly necessary, but it was an infinitely loving and wise plan.

This past year has been one of great suffering for me and many of us, and today we might also ask whether our own suffering is necessary. St. John Paul II insisted that “each man, in his suffering, can also become a sharer in the redemptive suffering of Christ” (Salvifici Doloris, No. 19). Today, as we reflect on the suffering and death of our Lord, we can bring to mind our own suffering and join it with his sacrifice for the salvation of the whole world. It is a beautiful and pain-quenching consolation.

Q: What personal suffering can I join with Jesus’ suffering on the cross? Can I bear this pain out of love for my brothers and sisters?

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