Holy Week is a time to journey with our Lord Jesus in his total surrender to the will of God. Good Friday is the celebration of that totality of self-giving of himself in obedience to that will, to the point of death on the cross.
The invitation is not to look at the narrative of the Passion with merely a tinge of guilt – that perhaps my sins have added to the weight of the cross; caused Jesus to fall under that cross or even nailed him to the cross. Our invitation is to join our Lord, Mother Mary and the disciples, in the Passion and be part of the Salvation that Christ bought. Not every one of his followers stood beside him. Mother Mary did but others kept a distance – confused and afraid. Peter even denied Jesus. Joseph of Arimathea acted only in secret out of fear. Yet, every one of them participated in Jesus’ Passion. Everyone was changed by their experience.
As we observe Good Friday, let us ask ourselves: How do we live out the Salvation of Jesus Christ? How do we allow our lives to be changed this holy day so that we follow Jesus more closely? How can our lives be a source of salvation to others? The way of the cross is not about the road leading from Jerusalem to Calvary. It is the road to salvation in Christ Jesus.
