March 30, 2018 - Good Friday

"Christ's Greatest Suffering"

Audio Clip

Easter Sunday, a day of mercy, a day of joy and celebration, awaits us.  But, today, Good Friday, is a day of justice, a day of atonement for sins --- a day of suffering born in love.  Despite what the secular world may espouse, today is a day which confirms the existence of right and wrong, of good and evil.  

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?!

It is human nature for us to believe that Jesus is pleading with His Father --- begging for His rescue or at the very least, a response as to why His Father would allow Him to die on His cross.  But, what evidence do we have that Jesus was ever motivated by selfish means? We have none --- absolutely none! Jesus was always selfless and was only motivated by charity --- by love and concern for all of us. 

My spiritual director, Father Bill Sheehan, a holy and wonderfully kindhearted man, shared with me some time ago what he had learned during his theological studies about these words of Jesus.  Some believe that Jesus was crying out to His Father not because He was going to die, but because the Father allowed Jesus to know for the very first time, that Jesus' perfect act of love would not save everyone. Despite Jesus following the Father's plan, and being perfectly obedient and charitable, despite offering everything He was for the salvation of the human race, Jesus was allowed to understand that some of us would still turn from Him, choose never to be reconciled with Him, and be eternally damned.  This truth was the greatest pain which Jesus endured and it broke His heart. With this recognition, the final piece of our Savior had been crushed.  

In our manner of speaking, this is when Jesus cried out to His Father, "No!  No! I did what you asked of me, and still, not all of our children will be saved?!

To the last moment, it was never about Him.

To the last moment, it was about us.