Introduction:
“Take up your cross and follow me”. As we gather around the cross of Christ this “good” Friday lets kiss and adore it with deep love of our Lord who suffered so much for us.
Homily
I don’t want to keep you, for the ceremony is long, but as we gather today may contemplating Christ’s sufferings change us. A man in the US confessed a murder after seeing Mel Gibson’s film of the Passion. A young person in Listowel coming out from it said its hard not to pray after seeing that. We should also respond to the passion with love and a change of heart, for no one can fail to be moved by this testimony of his total love for us. And his presence with us forever as glorious Lord and Savior.
For when Christ died in intense mental and physical pain on the cross, God didn’t abandon him. The Gibson film makes that point well. As Christ dies, a single tear of the father splashes on the ground. Suddenly all is changed. His worldly accusers slink away on their donkeys and Satan, who has been triumphantly enjoying every blow inflicted on Him, is plummeted back to hell. Gibson switches the scene to the last supper: “this is my body given up for you”.
God won the victory through this defeat. He raised Christ up and gave him all power in heaven and on earth. So if you think anti-God forces are stronger think again. God’s still in charge. and he has handed over all authority to his Christ, who has in turn entrusted it to the church. How privileged we are to be part of that. So lets be his faithful no matter what the world throws at us; return love for love to console his heart. For only in that way can we transform our violent unjust earth into His gentle kingdom. Lets throw ourselves wholeheartedly into the glorious enterprise he began on the cross. Lets be his suffering servants to heal our world. For all else passes but he’s lord of life, love and peace forever and ever; our king of love on Calvary forever, amen.
So as the people of a crucified lord in these the end-times of his kingdom as foretold by the prophets let us pray and work with all our hearts so that his good kingdom so painfully won may become a reality in our world (we’ll now have the intercessions)