It is 19th April 2019. It is Good Friday – Celebration of the Lord’s Passion. It is the day of fasting and abstinence. The readings are from Isaiah 52:13-53:12; the second reading is from Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9; and the Gospel from John 18:1-19:42. Suffering purifies our souls and makes us participate in the Passion of the Lord. Focusing our attention on the Most Holy Cross of Jesus, we obtain strength to carry our own. It is the Most Holy Cross of Jesus widens our heart to love those wished evil, broadens our minds to be inclusive, neutralising the volcanic eruptions of emotions of egoistic and selfish choices, and energises our drooping spirit. The emptiness and silence of the day helps us process the roaring noise of the sin within ourselves. The liturgy of the day begins with the Scriptures explaining the suffering and death of Jesus followed by the solemn intercession and prayers to Jesus on the Cross leading us all to venerate the Most Holy Cross of our Saviour Crucified and the offertory collection is reserved for the holy places and culminating in partaking of Holy Communion. The liturgy of the day begins with silence and ends in total silence after Jesus surrendered His Spirit to God. All the wounds and scares of sin are healed by the Blood of our Lord Jesus. We are saved, forgiven and healed by the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus. No one can suffer for our sins and carry our pains like Jesus. No one can replace Jesus the way He loved us. Our human love is most of the times conditional, controlling, compelling while love of the Love is ever unconditional, gentle and never imposing. “Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face. (Jn.19:1-3). There is no one would go through such humiliation for us to save us. The obedience of Jesus to the will of Father remains unparallel and unreachable any person. (1 Pet.1:22). We can all make as many crosses from the finest wood of the forest, but we still struggle to bring out another Jesus from the finest humanity. Prophet Isaiah talks about the incomparable suffering of the Suffering Servant, who died for us all. “By his sufferings shall my servant justify many, taking their faults on himself.” (Is.53:11). The responsorial Psalm commends, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” (Lk.23:46). The Gospel gently reminds us that our sins that crucified the most innocent one of God, Jesus. The account of the Gospel of John presents the crucifixion as the culminating moment of our salvation. Even though the humanity refused Jesus over Cesar and Barabbas. In our daily encounter with the reality of life, our choices that we make for or against Jesus that either crucify Him or humiliate Him. We all need fervent prayer near the reposition of the Most Holy Eucharist today in our church. Let us spend a quality to time in silence reflecting all that has unfolding in Good Friday. May the Lord kindly bless all of us to be blessed and healed by Him. May you all have a peaceful and prayerful liturgical celebration. May God bless you.

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