(El Greco)
John 18: 1 - 19:42
O God, who by the Passion of Christ your Son, our Lord,
abolished the death inherited from ancient sin
by every succeeding generation,
grant that just as, being conformed to him,
we have borne by the law of nature
the image of the man of earth,
so by the sanctification of grace
we may bear the image of the Man of heaven.
Through Christ our Lord.
(Opening Prayer)
Today, Good Friday, our liturgy and the event of the Passion of Christ speak for themselves and demand our self reflection. If you can be sure to attend either the Stations of the Cross today or certainly the fuller liturgy of the reading of the passion, holy communion and the veneration of the cross. No Mass is celebrated today, the only day of the entire year, for we honor that God/Man and his cross and suffering which has made all things new.
Maybe reflecting on the recent events in Paris, France can provide for us a sign of hope in the midst of tragedy. The burning of the Cathedral of Notre Dame struck to the heart of each Parisian and all of France. But certainly symbolically to our own as well as a Catholic/Christian community. For that building, while not the faith itself is certainly a physical expression of faith itself. In wood, limestone, human genius and artistic brilliance that Cathedral, 8 centuries ago, rose as a sign of hope, trust and faith. Since that time it has stood as a resilient force against darkness.
Like Jesus, who willingly went to his own death, the disciples must have felt despair at his death. But like Notre Dame, it will and he rose alive again and transformed all with the hope of forgiveness and eternal life. Our lives are the same - we are a people of hope, not despair; a people of faith, not emptiness; we are found, not lost; joyful not sad all in Christ Jesus our Lord crucified and risen.
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