Enjoy your Sunday Homilies with Fr Georges Kwami KOUWONOU, Catholic Priest of Atakpame Diocese (Togo)
Thursday, 18 April 2019
PASCHAL TRIDUUM, GOOD FRIDAY
Isaiah 52:13—53:12
Psalm 30
Hebrews 4:14-16.5:7-9
John 18:1—19:42
THE CELEBRATION OF THE LORD’S PASSION
Today is the second day of the Sacred Triduum. Apart from the ancient devotion of going through the stations of the cross that characterizes the day, today’s liturgy is made up of four parts, namely, the liturgy of the Word which helps us understand the true meaning of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ, the solemn general intercessions, the veneration of the cross and the liturgy of the Pre-sanctified or Holy Communion. The focus of today’s liturgy is the cross. In the days of Jesus, the cross was the emblem of shame, curse, punishment, condemnation, torture, suffering and death. The imagery of a cross was something absurd and resentful. It pointed to anger and bitterness, hatred and violence.
But Jesus changed the perspective of the cross. With Jesus the cross has become the emblem of friendship, forgiveness, reconciliation, redemption and glory. It has become the tree of life, the symbol of triumph and not defeat. As the Suffering Servant, Jesus was thought of as someone cursed, punished by God. He was despised, rejected, humiliated, a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief. Ours were the sufferings he bore, ours the sorrows he carried. His wounds brought us healing and wholeness. And yet, through his Passion and death, he has become the source of salvation for mankind. He is the Eternal High Priest who never ceases to intercede for us.
Today, as we contemplate the love of God manifested in his Son, let us reflect on the culture of death and violence that characterizes our world today. Innocent people are unjustly condemned, jailed or killed. Innocent lives are lost through abortion and war. Out of our selfish ambitions, we “sell” others. We destroy the reputation of others through backbiting and blackmails. We break the hearts of those who love us and trust us; we reject and abandon them at the moments they need us most. And the culture of revenge and unforgiveness has replaced the culture of pardon and tolerance. As such, the mystery of the cross invites us to value life, respect the dignity of the human person. We are also called to associate our own crosses, pains, fears and sufferings with the sorrowful passion of Christ and find in him the source of our consolation, strength and hope. Amen
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