Where, O Death, is your victory?
April 14, 2006 Good Friday - Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion (B) - Red
First Reading: Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 31; Luke 23:46 "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit."
Second Reading: Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ: John 18:1 - 19:42
"Death is swallowed up in victory. Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?" (1 Cor 15:54-55)
"Death is swallowed up in victory. Where, O death is your victory?" (1 Cor 15:54-55) - The mystery of Good Friday presents to us Jesus Christ crucified on the cross, who died for our sins, making possible a victorious triumph in the struggle against good and evil. Christ’s death brings victory to humanity. Christ’s death brings victory to Himself. Christ’s death brings victory to God’s loving plan of salvation. Moreover, death is maked by victory. Death will no longer mean a sad reality, but because of Jesus, death will mean, forevermore, a victory in Christ’s name, a resurrection from death to new life in the new heavens, "The dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." (1 Cor 15:52).
Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion is the only day in the Church year when we do not celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, for on this day we recall the greatest sacrifice there is - Jesus’ death on the cross. And this sacrifice won him victory over evil.
"The sting of death is sin" (1 Cor 15:56) - Christ died for our sins. He saved all of us and made redemption possible through his sacrificial offering on the cross. He did not choose to die, but submitted himself wholeheartedly to God’s will, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still not my will but yours be done" (Luke 22:42). Jesus’ YES to his Father’s will made possible salvation for me, for us, for everyone. The cross was precipitated by sin. If not for our sins, Christ did not die. Sin is the root cause of our alienation from God. But because of his immense love and mercy for us all, he bridged the gap between sin and love and makes us come back to him whenever we repent from our sins, "Let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found" (Luke 15:23-24).
"The last enemy to be destroyed is death." (1 Cor 15:26) - Christ’s death is the climax of his teaching ministry on earth. He has seen and made many enemies while teaching in Jerusalem, Galilee, and other towns he entered. But these earthly enemies all lead to one single entity, challenged by evil - death. And still, being on the cross ’til his last breath, Christ taught lessons to be used in life - forgiveness, unconditional love, and obedience. His seven last words give testimony to his last teachings before the resurrection. But still, death did not win the match. Christ became obedient to death, and because of this, he won salvation for us all.
"Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Cor 15:57) - Have you felt Christ’s love? Especially when he was on the cross? If you haven’t, try to kneel down before a crucifix with the image of Christ crucified, and take a glance on his suffering face. You will see his eyes looking at you, and you will hear a voice, a crying but commanding voice, saying, "My son, you are part of this sacrifice I’m making. Go and love your brothers." Jesus does not possess to himself the glory of his victory on the cross, but instead, he makes us sharers in this victory. Hence, we are cooperators in the sacrifice of Christ crucified. He is victorious upon his death, more importantly, we are victorious in Christ’s death. And what great response can we give to Christ crucified than our loving service and total, unselfish dedication to others in our life. Just as Jesus sacrificed on the cross, we too are called to partake of his sacrifice by our loving service to others. We should give thanks to God for he made possible our share in Christ’s victory.
Good Friday is not yet over. We know that Christ has been buried and has become victorious on his cross. But this is not the end of everything…this victory is not yet over. For the victory of God will reach its climax in His Son’s Resurrection from the death, where Christ won victory over the corruption of sin and death. After three days, Jesus will rise again, and when he destroys death, he does it for everyone, and not only for himself. Those whom he calls "his very own" will share in his triumphant victory. And so, those who are worthy have the right to mock Death: "Death is swallowed up in victory. Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?" (1 Cor 15:54-55).
Liturgical Notes:
1. There is no mass on Good Friday. There is only an afternoon liturgy of the Lord’s Passion, at around 3:00 pm. This service is also called, the Mass of the Pre-Sanctified. This is the continuation of last evening’s Mass of the Lord’s Supper. Once again, this liturgy does not end, but continues in tomorrow’s Easter Vigil.
2. The liturgy is divided into 4 parts: The Liturgy of the Word, where we read the Lord’s Passion and reflect on this mystery; The General Intercessions, where we pray for the universal intentions of the Church; The Veneration of the Cross, where we kiss and venerate the wood of the cross; and Holy Communion, where we celebrate and accept Christ’s suffering on the cross through receiving his body which were consecrated during last night’s mass.
3. The altar is empty. The images of the saints and crucifixes are covered with a black or purple veil. The tabernacle is empty and kept open.
4. Once again, there is no blessing and all depart in silence. The altar is once again stripped after the liturgy.
5. Evening Prayer is not said by those who participate in this afternoon’s service.
