GOOD FRIDAY REFLECTION BY EZENWATU PHILIP C.
GOOD FRIDAY REFLECTION
BY EZENWATU PHILIP C.
1st Reading: Isaiah 52: 13 – 53: 12
2nd Reading: Hebrews 4: 14 – 16, 5: 7 – 9
Gospel: John 18: 1- 19: 42
THEME: A Loss for Gain
Every faith celebration without a history is a myth, without a theology is superstition, and without mystery is deceit.
The whole world and Christendom lay today in silence because the Master sleeps in the tomb and because of the dumbfounding corona virus effect. Some questions requiring answers should be asked by every serious catholic today. Why do we not celebrate the Mass today? Why do we venerate and genuflect to the cross today? Why is the Tabernacle open and empty?
We do not celebrate mass because every figure ceases to be when the actual pointer manifests(St. Augustine) Symbols point to and share in their mysteries. When these mysteries are made evident such symbols need not hold in the face of the mystery,hence it becomes a tautologous celebration. The fiqure of the mass reenact the actual paschal mystery of Christ – birth, passion, death and resurrection of Christ.
Today, we celebrate this mystery of the death and resurrection of Christ – we need not the Mass to do this. Recall that all sacrament draw their efficacy from the Paschal mystery of Christ, and the Eucharist (Mass) as one of the sacraments, needed not to be celebrated since the source of its efficacy is today celebrated. Again our Lord sleeps in death, we equally need not to celebrate mass when one of what it calls to mind is yet to be accomplished.
We genuflects to the cross only today because Christ's presence on the cross who dies today in our celebration gives the cross a weight, a significant meaning and efficacy, changing the old long meaning of the cross for the Jews. We genuflect acknowledging Christ as Lord (Kurios), who died on the cross, and the cross as the only path to our Christian perfection.
The Tabernacle is open and empty because the human bodily form of Christ is destroyed – we await a glorified body. It is a sign of expectancy. Christ is removed from the Tabernacle as he was removed from among his disciples, but again we wait in hope for a reunion, which after his resurrection he came to his disciples with a glorified body.
A LOSS FOR GAIN
In the First Reading Isaiah envisages the suffering servant of God. This part of Isaiah (It has 3 parts) is the Trito Isaiah (Isaiah after the Exile – Isaiah's authorship is seen as having survived the pre – exilic, exilic and post – exilic era). Isaiah imagines the sufferings of the Israelites during the exile, and imagines the sufferings of the Prophets and servants of God in the hands of Pagans and the Israelites themselves, so he came up with his idea of a suffering servant of God and the ordeals he faces. This rendition of the suffering servant of God is Poetic. As Isaiah’s authorship speaks these words, they reflect in anticipation the sufferings which the servant and sole begotten son of God will undergo. There must be a loss in order to live (Christ gifts himself), and humanity lost one of itself (the first fruit of humanity, by equally killing him); and so, this led to the gain of humanity through the saving action of Christ.
A process Theology: The 2nd Reading from the letter to the Hebrews reminds us that Christ having understood all that we are because he took flesh like us, is able to
sympathize with us. This is where Christianity differs from Judaism and Islam. Shown in the definition of Liturgy by Mediato Dei of Pius 12th 1946 – Christ offers for us, and at the same time is the God who receives our offering for us today, what a great love he lavished on humanity. He has become the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him. He has given us a universal salvation (Redemption), it is left for us to appropriate it individually through our lives and reciprocation of this love of God.
In the Gospel, we often see a dramatized passion and death of Christ. This drama sometimes reduces the veracity and seriousness of this mystery to some, and to others it increases, makes real and so converting, the Paschal mystery. What has it done to you?
Today, those who shouted Hosanna, last Sunday, have begun shouting crucify him, crucify him.
As Jesus goes to Calvary, dies and is buried today, he asks for one thing from us. to open our hearts – to come into our hearts so that we can console him. Will you console him today or increase his pain and sorrows.
We pray today for the grace to be true Christians and always win over temptations and the struggles we face in life – and so merit to rise with Christ on the last day through Christ our Lord.
BY EZENWATU PHILIP C.
1st Reading: Isaiah 52: 13 – 53: 12
2nd Reading: Hebrews 4: 14 – 16, 5: 7 – 9
Gospel: John 18: 1- 19: 42
THEME: A Loss for Gain
Every faith celebration without a history is a myth, without a theology is superstition, and without mystery is deceit.
The whole world and Christendom lay today in silence because the Master sleeps in the tomb and because of the dumbfounding corona virus effect. Some questions requiring answers should be asked by every serious catholic today. Why do we not celebrate the Mass today? Why do we venerate and genuflect to the cross today? Why is the Tabernacle open and empty?
We do not celebrate mass because every figure ceases to be when the actual pointer manifests(St. Augustine) Symbols point to and share in their mysteries. When these mysteries are made evident such symbols need not hold in the face of the mystery,hence it becomes a tautologous celebration. The fiqure of the mass reenact the actual paschal mystery of Christ – birth, passion, death and resurrection of Christ.
Today, we celebrate this mystery of the death and resurrection of Christ – we need not the Mass to do this. Recall that all sacrament draw their efficacy from the Paschal mystery of Christ, and the Eucharist (Mass) as one of the sacraments, needed not to be celebrated since the source of its efficacy is today celebrated. Again our Lord sleeps in death, we equally need not to celebrate mass when one of what it calls to mind is yet to be accomplished.
We genuflects to the cross only today because Christ's presence on the cross who dies today in our celebration gives the cross a weight, a significant meaning and efficacy, changing the old long meaning of the cross for the Jews. We genuflect acknowledging Christ as Lord (Kurios), who died on the cross, and the cross as the only path to our Christian perfection.
The Tabernacle is open and empty because the human bodily form of Christ is destroyed – we await a glorified body. It is a sign of expectancy. Christ is removed from the Tabernacle as he was removed from among his disciples, but again we wait in hope for a reunion, which after his resurrection he came to his disciples with a glorified body.
A LOSS FOR GAIN
In the First Reading Isaiah envisages the suffering servant of God. This part of Isaiah (It has 3 parts) is the Trito Isaiah (Isaiah after the Exile – Isaiah's authorship is seen as having survived the pre – exilic, exilic and post – exilic era). Isaiah imagines the sufferings of the Israelites during the exile, and imagines the sufferings of the Prophets and servants of God in the hands of Pagans and the Israelites themselves, so he came up with his idea of a suffering servant of God and the ordeals he faces. This rendition of the suffering servant of God is Poetic. As Isaiah’s authorship speaks these words, they reflect in anticipation the sufferings which the servant and sole begotten son of God will undergo. There must be a loss in order to live (Christ gifts himself), and humanity lost one of itself (the first fruit of humanity, by equally killing him); and so, this led to the gain of humanity through the saving action of Christ.
A process Theology: The 2nd Reading from the letter to the Hebrews reminds us that Christ having understood all that we are because he took flesh like us, is able to
sympathize with us. This is where Christianity differs from Judaism and Islam. Shown in the definition of Liturgy by Mediato Dei of Pius 12th 1946 – Christ offers for us, and at the same time is the God who receives our offering for us today, what a great love he lavished on humanity. He has become the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him. He has given us a universal salvation (Redemption), it is left for us to appropriate it individually through our lives and reciprocation of this love of God.
In the Gospel, we often see a dramatized passion and death of Christ. This drama sometimes reduces the veracity and seriousness of this mystery to some, and to others it increases, makes real and so converting, the Paschal mystery. What has it done to you?
Today, those who shouted Hosanna, last Sunday, have begun shouting crucify him, crucify him.
As Jesus goes to Calvary, dies and is buried today, he asks for one thing from us. to open our hearts – to come into our hearts so that we can console him. Will you console him today or increase his pain and sorrows.
We pray today for the grace to be true Christians and always win over temptations and the struggles we face in life – and so merit to rise with Christ on the last day through Christ our Lord.
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