We know that as we come to our parish Friday evening to commemorate the Good Friday Liturgy, we commemorate the death of our Savior on the cross. Jesus had come to us here on earth as a great light. Now, that light has been plunged into darkness. Our Gospel reading today from John give a strong juxtaposition of this light compared to the darkness of the world. In the Gospel of Christ’s passion, Jesus goes to the garden in darkness. Judas leads a band of soldiers and guards into the darkness of the garden, lit by their lanterns and torches. Peter’s denials of Jesus take place in the darkness of the garden, where Peter and the guards try to keep warm by the charcoal fire. Some Scripture scholars speculate that Jesus may have spent the night before his trial with Pilate in the darkness of a dungeon prison cell.
We see many in our world who have their lives mired in darkness, whether it be the struggle to break free from addictions, being falsely accused, being in a cycle of abuse or violence, imprisoned by anger or fear. Perhaps it is a consolation to know that Jesus, the son of God who brought us salvation and truth endured things similar to the pain and agony that we endure.
Today, as we work into our church to commemorate our Good Friday liturgy, the one day of the year when a priest is barred from celebrating Mass, we venerate the cross of Christ as a part of this liturgy. The General Instruction for the Roman Missal (GIRM) has an interesting comment regarding the veneration of the cross: “A genuflection, made by bending the right knee to the ground, signifies adoration, and therefore it is reserved for the Most Blessed Sacrament, as well as for the Holy Cross from the solemn adoration during the liturgical celebration on Good Friday until the beginning of the Easter Vigil.” Thus, from the time of the liturgy of the Lord’s passion today until our Easter Vigil Mass tomorrow, we offer the same reverence to the Holy Cross as we would to Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle. What a powerful teaching this is for us Catholics. Jesus died for us, and his cross is now the symbol of his victory over sin and death.
Our commemorate of the three liturgies of the Tritium is an important moment for us Catholic in the Church’s liturgical year. Our three commemorations on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil are to been seen as one continuous liturgy that commemorate the paschal mysteries of Christ our Lord. Today is indeed a sober and solemn occasion, but the hope of the resurrection is still alive in our hearts today as we anticipate our celebration of Easter.
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