HOMILY OF HOLY FRIDAY — YEAR A

HOMILY OF HOLY FRIDAY — YEAR A

HOMILY THEME: THE LORD’S PASSION AND DEATH

BY: Bishop Anthony Ewherido 

Is 52:13-53:12; Heb. 4:14-16,5:7-9; John 18:1-19:42

My Morning Minute With Jesus

“But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins; upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed.”

Today’s liturgy confronts us with many characteristics of Jesus’ life and destiny: His unshaken obedience to, and trust in, the Father; His unconditional solidarity with frail and broken humanity; The gruesome injustice, rejection, betrayal, insults, mistreatment, torture, suffering, and pain that he endured; and then, of course, his brutal crucifixion and shameful death on a cross amidst two criminals.

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Ask why? And he says: “ALL FOR YOU.” He went through all of that in order that we may have life and have it abundantly. So, when he had completed the course of what God demanded of him, he exclaimed from upon that Cross that was turned into a source of grace and life: “mission accomplished.” Then, he inclined his head and handed down his Spirit to us, both as symbol of the totality of the gift he gives from the Cross and a means for the continuation and perpetuation of his life in us and amongst us. That was not all: that Body, now lifeless in human estimation, became a fountain of immortality as it oozed out cleansing water and life-giving blood. Instead of the finality sought after by those who pierced him; God created from it the source of eternal life. Now it is true that those who look up to him will surely live. He paid a ransom that none of us would have been able to afford; all we do is to tap into that overflowing resource that he has made available to us. As we depart from the celebration of the Lord’s Passion in utter silence, let us journey with him into the silence of the grave; a silence that is enveloped by darkness as the stone is rolled over the entrance of the tomb; a dark silence that yields to the light of God’s mighty deeds and proclamations as the women approach the Tomb for further funeral rites after the Sabbath. For them then, and for us today, the grave was and is not the end. In fact, it was a gift; a gift and testament of Jesus’ complete solidarity with humanity. As we pray and fast to commemorate all that Jesus went through for us, let us be thankful. Thank you, God, for the gift of your Son, Our Lord and Brother Jesus Christ. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your willing obedience and humble submission to the Father for our salvation. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for making that grace available to us for all time.

We pray with Jesus: “Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit.” Amen.

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