20150403 Good Friday

Jesus is dead.
He Died.
It is finished.
Through the consecration of the bread and wine by the priest, Catholics believe that the bread becomes the Body of Christ and the wine becomes the Blood of Christ. The body of Christ is kept in the Tabernacle from one mass to the next and the Sanctuary Candle burning next to the Tabernacle indicates that Christ is present. But there is no candle burning next to the Tabernacle today anywhere in the world; in fact the Tabernacle doors are open and the Tabernacle is empty to show that Christ is not here. He died!
How did this happen? In one short week, Jesus went from the throngs glorifying him to being condemned and put to death as a criminal.
Scourging and crucifixion were the two principle methods of punishment used by the Romans. Scourging with a whip of multiple ends, sometimes embedded with metal, was more than most men could survive. Thirty nine lashes were considered one short of what a man could survive without dying. Crucifixion was a painful method of death. Crucifixion was reserved for the worst criminal offenses, especially those accused of rebellion against the government.
Crucifixion was devised and designed by the Romans with more multiple goals in mind. First, crucifixion was designed to inflict optimal physical pain. The procedure was dragged out over a number of hours and the amount of pain inflicted at any given moment was carefully calculated so as not to cause unconsciousness and thus ease the pain of the one being crucified. Sometimes they even gave wine mixed with morphine to the person being crucified, not to ease their suffering, but to keep them from passing out from pain, so they could endure it longer. Crucifixion was designed to humiliate the person being crucified.
But it had a greater purpose. Rome had a resource crisis; inadequate budget and too few soldiers to control all the people in the conquered lands controlled by the Romans. Anyone who witnessed the suffering of crucifixion would think twice about committing an offense that would result in that sentence. Crucifixion was used as a method to control the masses of people in conquered lands. Therefore, the charge of rebellion would definitely get one crucified. Pilate had Jesus scourged and then handed over to be crucified.
John’s passion narrative emphasizes that Jesus was sentenced to death at noon, the very hour on the eve of Passover when the temple priests would begin to slaughter the paschal lambs. The inference is clear: Jesus is the real lamb who dies for the sins of the world.
After Jesus died, soldiers come and pierce his side with a lance. Immediately blood and water flow out. For John, Jesus’ death is the birth of something new in our lives.
Throughout his Passion it is Jesus who is in control, not the Jews or the Romans. Jesus decides on the moment of his death; he willing gives up his spirit to fulfill the Father’s plan. Jesus announces the completion of his sacrifice when he said “It is finished”. The Vulgate’s translation of “It is accomplished” states it better.
The crucifix here at Holy Cross depicts what Jesus did for me. Take a close look at it. There is blood running down his bruised and broken body. He suffered and submitted himself to death as a sacrifice for our sins to fulfil the Father’s plan of redemption for all.
Jesus died out of love for all people throughout history, living now and in future ages for all time. Jesus washed Judas’ feet knowing he would hand him over to the painful death he would suffer. How great a love Jesus had for all people, including the person would betray him.
Jesus willingly accepted the Father’s plan of salvation. In doing this, he gave his all for us. It is not easy to follow Jesus. Even the disciples who walked with him for the last couple of years, who last night at the supper table said that, they would never abandon him, completely disappeared. The disciples feared for their lives and left Jesus to die alone.
Today, many Christians throughout the world are dying for their faith. This is especially true in the Middle East where the governments are trying to wipe out the Church. How will we respond? If we had to die because we are Catholic; would we deny him like Peter? Would we desert him like the disciples? Or would we die for our faith like the martyrs of today?
Last night at the Last Supper, Jesus took bread and broke it, gave to his disciples and said: “This is my body given for you!”