GOOD FRIDAY 1998

At this celebration of the Lord's Passion, we celebrate our baptismal call to join in the passion, suffering and death of Jesus and countless others in our world, as our Only path to Salvation.

• We celebrate the glorious cross;
• We remember the death of Christ;
• We remember that we too are called to be victorious over the forces of evil and death in Our World.

Our first reading from the prophet Isaiah (52:13-53:12) set the tone for our Good Friday celebration: "See. my servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted and lifted up." Today we celebrate that Christ, the suffering servant, passed through suffering and death to exaltation and glory.

The suffering was real and intensely violent and unjust. The glory was real and intense. The darkness,of sin, suffering and death gave birth to the light of life. We are called through baptism to follow the same path.

In the passage from for Letter to the Hebrews we continued to explore the meaning of following in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ. "He learned obedience through what he suffered and became the source of salvation, eternal salvation for all who obey him." A wonderful theology is expressed here.

The Easter Triduun celebrates the paschal mystery of Jesus Christ, who is the paradigm for all the baptized. Christ has shown us the way to God. We have in Christ one who shows us the depth and mystery of what it means to be human.

The reading of the Passion was St. John's account of the passion and death of Jesus. It is less anecdotal than the versions of Mark, Matthew and Luke. But it is profound. John emphasizes Jesus' obedience to the will of God -- suffering and death is a gift from God. Christ seeks the truth, a truth which sets him free

Crucifixion is the path to victory; the hour of death of the hour of triumph. A divine paradox.

A key action, ritual action on Good Friday is the veneration of the cross --instrument of death, symbol of victory.

The object of veneration is not the figure of the crucified, but the cross itself -- a symbol of victory and salvation. we express our veneration by kiss or touch.

We are reminded, too, that today is GOOD FRIDAY, because suffering and death are not the end of our life story, just as they were not the end of Christ's life story. Today is "good" Friday: death is fooled and evil's victory is snatched away. God's promise of life forever in the kingdom is a sure and certain promise.

One more truth to ponder on this "good" day. The love that prompted Christ to face suffering and death enables us to face suffering and death. As we come forward to venerate the cross, we pledge ourselves to die to sin and to be faithful to our baptism promises to conquer sin and evil through our acts of loving service to God and to one another.