Good Friday

From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli lema sabachtani? ” which means, “My god, my God, why have you forsaken me?” . . . Then Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit. And behold the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.

—Matthew 27:45–46, 50–51

After a conspiracy between the Jewish leaders and Roman authorities, Jesus is condemned to death by crucifixion. This makes no sense to his followers; they thought that the Messiah was going to free them from Roman occupation as well as corrupt Jewish leadership. Instead, Jesus dies a shameful death, looking like a complete failure. He seems to be abandoned by God and cries out, asking God why this is so. It looks like Jesus lost.

But immediately after Jesus’ death, we see the first sign that all is not what it appears. The veil of the sanctuary, a very thick curtain about forty feet high, is torn from top to bottom—with no natural explanation. So too, the love of Christ, as he will- fully chooses death to defeat sin for us, demon- strates the extraordinary power of God.

Thank God today for Jesus’ death on the Cross, which destroyed sin and death and freed us to regain full access to our heavenly Father.

 This reflection from Messages of Trust for Lent, originally published by Ave Maria Press, was reprinted with permission of the authors, Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran. For more parish resources, visit https://www.rebuiltparish.com/.

Responsorial psalms are excerpted from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Other scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, DC, and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.