Jn 18:1-19:42 What We Have Seen

Good Friday
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By FR ALFONSE NAZZARO

Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him, went out and said to them, "Whom are you looking for?"  They answered him, "Jesus the Nazorean."  He said to them, "I AM."

How did He do it?  What got the Lord through this hellish day?  How did He keep His composure, His cool, His dignity and His faith in man? 

It was his total, unconditional, unshakeable and non-negotiable trust in His Father.  Do you possess anything like this in your life?

The Lord's absolute trust in His Father is what gave Jesus the strength to tell Judas "Whatever you do, do it quickly".  It is also gave the Lord the temperance or self-control to not beat Judas over the head.

Christ's trust in His Father's Will gave Him the strength to stay in the garden of Gethsemane on Holy Friday; to accept His Father's chalice; to meet His betrayer face-to-face; to identify Himself to His enemies; to reject violence by His followers ("those who kill by the sword will die by the sword"); to not curse His executioners; to forgive those who ran away from Him and rejected Him; to remain silent to those who judged Him; to forgive His friends and remain faithful till the very end; to see good in all this evil.

So what do you see when you see the Cross?  The Dutch psychologist, Edgar Rubin, is famous for his visual or cognitive illusions.  His most famous drawing is known as Rubin's Vase.  I'm sure you have seen it; that is, the image of a vase and the silhouettes of two faces in profile.   But Rubin's images only work when we rely on stored knowledge of worldly things.  This is an important fact.

So when you see the Cross of Christ, what do you see?  Do you only see death or do you also see salvation?  It all depends on your knowledge of Christ and of our faith. 

Look at the Cross.  You should see two things...
- Something beautiful and something ugly.
- Our sins and His Love.
-What we did to Him and What He did for us.
- How unworthy we are and How much we are worth.
- How He carried our sins and How He carried us.
- Something to avoid and Something to embrace.
- A Curse and A Calling (I know I call upon the Lord when I feel overwhelmed.  Is there any wonder why the Lord calls upon me when the world is a mess???)
- The ultimate Sacrifice and Ultimate Love.

When you read the news, what do you see?
-  147 Christians killed in Kenya and the fear and weakness of Islamic radicalism; an isolated incident and a continuation of the passion of our Lord; a mockery of Christianity and the scandal of the Cross; the ridicule towards Christians and a prophecy by our Lord fulfilled - "If they persecuted me, then they will persecute you.  If they hated me, then they will hate you." 

Am I afraid of the Cross?  I am.  But fear and doubts were never meant to distance ourselves from the Lord.  Rather, they were meant to bring us intimately closer to Him. 

To trust in the Lord means to remain steadfast in what is right, good and holy, for God's will is the best of all our options. 

To whom shall we go?  Only you, O Lord, have the words of eternal life (cf. Jn 6:68).

Where you there when they crucified my Lord?  Yes!  Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me (cf. Mt 25:40).

Am I standing up for Christians around the world?  Am I defending religious liberty?  Reach out and carry your cross and watch how some people cheer, some people jeer, some cry and some profit from it all.  And yet, the Lord died for all! 

And won some hearts. 

Embrace this moment.  It might be what you need.  It might even be what you've been looking for. 

Embrace the Cross of Christ and let the magic of grace begin.