Good Friday

Celebration of the Lord's Passion

Today's Readings:
Isaiah 52:13--53:12
Ps 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-17, 25
Heb 4:14-16; 5:7-9
John 18:1--19:42

http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/032108.shtml

What did Jesus do for you?

When we read today's Gospel story, we can ask ourselves: Has Jesus done enough for me? Do I have any prayer requests that have either gone unanswered or are not being answered satisfactorily? Do I suppose it's because he doesn't care? Have I been hurt and broken-hearted without getting enough healing and hope from him? Has Jesus done too little to make me happy? Do I feel like the reason why I've been treated unfairly is because Jesus likes someone else more than me?

Let's be honest. From time to time, we all fall victim to the mistaken assumption that life doesn't go the way it "should" because of God: He's being mean or uncaring or distant. Maybe we're not always conscious of this, but it's there, under the surface, affecting our behaviors and our level of faith.

The key to getting out of this self-imposed prison is to meditate upon what Jesus did for you on the original Good Friday. Since he was willing to do THAT for you, is he not also willing to do everything else that's good for you?

Everything else is easy for him in comparison to the cross, which he endured for your sake! Take very personally what he went through: For you he suffered abuses. For you he endured ridicule and torture. For you he accepted an excruciating death.

Of course he cares about you! Of course he wants to provide for you and give to you everything that you need, from the smallest blessing to the biggest healing (which is the healing of your soul).

By attending the Good Friday services in church and by listening to the Passion of Christ while looking at the cross, we can remind ourselves — and let Jesus himself remind us — that we really do matter to him, and enormously so!

In fact, he cares about us so much that he refuses to take short cuts and halfway measures or to settle for second best, so that he can fill all our needs, even the ones we're not aware of, and resolve all of our problems by implementing the best possible plan, even if we don't understand it for awhile.