Valentine’s Day of Christians!

Friday, March 29, 2024

Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion

Is 52:13-53:12; Heb 4:14-16; 5:7-9; Jn 18:1-19:42

The Good Friday helps us realize that sometimes a death teaches what life cannot. 

Such is the death of Jesus, and let us reflect on it for meaning and inspiration. 

1.I have heard: ‘If we know the day of our deaths, then our lives will be miserable.’ Though it is true for us, it was not for Jesus. In fact, Jesus’ death was determined at his birth. To cite a couple of examples, we can think of Simeon’s prophecy and Jesus himself foretelling his death thrice. Jesus was born to die, and his life was a steady movement toward the cross. 

2. Amid people who chose life to prove their love, Jesus chose death to prove his love. I remember the popular quote here: ‘I asked Jesus, ‘How much do you love me?’ And Jesus said, ‘This much.’ Then he stretched out His arms and died.’ Did he not say, ‘There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends?’ (Jn 15:13). Jesus kept his word on the cross. 

3. For humans, death is a negative experience. The very word produces a negative emotion in us. But Jesus proved that even death could be pregnant with life if it was encountered for the sake of others. In the way he died for others, Jesus made his death more meaningful. If not for that truth, we would not be remembering Jesus’ death as we do now. Can we deny the fact that Jesus’ was a blessed death?

4. For Jesus, death was not the end. Rather, it was the beginning of a new life for many. Since his death signified humanity’s redemption that was accomplished on the cross, Jesus’ death was not an unfortunate defeat but a glorious victory. In his death, we were all born new. Only Jesus’ death could achieve that magical feat. 

5. The act of dying could be very painful. For the way it brings one’s life to an end, it is considered a loss. But Jesus’ death helps us think differently. What happens when someone dies out of love for another? The altruistic nature of Jesus’ death transforms the traditional understanding that is attached to death. Jesus’ death was not to save a single individual. It was meant to salvage the whole of humanity. The fact that he died for us has changed the way we understand death. 

6. Jesus’ life taught us how to live; his death, how to die. No wonder St. Thomas Aquinas discovered his library in the crucifix. Once, St. Bonaventure asked St. Thomas Aquinas, ‘What is the secret of your learning? What is your book of wisdom?’ The great saint turned to a crucifix that stood between him and the light and said, ‘My secret? My book? Br. Bonaventure, see my book!’

7. Though Jesus proved his love for us by extending his arms on the cross, he does not demand from us a similar sacrifice. Though we can witness to Christ’s love through martyrdom, Jesus invites us to prove our love by living it out. He helped us understand the meaning of life-giving sacrifice. But he wants us to prove how our sacrifices can be life-affirming. 

The Friday is ‘Good’ because Jesus won us redemption on this day!

Indeed, this is the Valentine’s Day of Christians!

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar