SPEAKER_00 0:00

The National Catholic Broadcasting Council presents Let Us Reflect Together. 40 Days of Lent Retreat from the Cross to Hope. Day 39, Good Friday. The Passion According to John with Father Peter Choi. Please welcome Deacon Mike Walsh.

SPEAKER_03 0:22

On Good Friday around the world, the Catholic faithful gather in churches where the tabernacle is empty. The Blessed Sacrament has been moved to the altar of repose. The empty tabernacle reminds us that Jesus has handed himself over to those who have come to arrest him in the Garden of Gethsemane. Mass will not be celebrated again in the church until the Easter Vigil, where the empty tabernacle will once again be filled with the Blessed Sacrament. Today we will join together to read, reflect, and pray as we enter into the Passion and Death of Jesus according to the Gospel of John. We begin with a question.

SPEAKER_04 2:01

The disciples believed that Jesus was the Messiah, who was the Son of God, but initially they began following him out of curiosity. It was only after having seen Jesus multiply the loaves and the fish to feed the hungry crowd of 5,000, calm the stormy sea, witness him walking on water, heal the sick, drive out evil spirits, forgive public sinners, and raise the dead to life. When they saw the power of God at work in him, they came to believe Jesus to be the promised Messiah, who was the Son of God. Today, we are celebrating Good Friday. But have you ever wondered why we call today Good Friday? The Germans call today Sorrowful Friday, which I think might have been more appropriate. After all, there was nothing good that we've done to Jesus. We should collectively repent and be sorrowful for our sins. But instead, we called it good because of what came as a result of today. Do you remember when Jesus was talking to a rich young man who called Jesus a good teacher? And Jesus asked him, Why do you call me good? Who is good but God alone? Today, Jesus accomplished the good only he was capable of doing for us. The atonement for the sins of the whole humanity. God will not criminalize us for what we have done. Let us lay down our sins, shame and guilt, all of it, at the foot of the cross to start anew. Back in the second century BC, Emperor Chin unified China as one empire, and he commissioned the Great Wall of China to be built. The goal was to create an impenetrable defense which would be 6,000 kilometers long, six meters high, and five and a half meters thick. In other words, a wall that would be too long, too high, and too thick to penetrate. It took 300 years to construct. But in the first 100 years of its existence, Mongolians invaded successively, not once, but three times. No, it was not the fault of the wall. So how did they get in? Each time they bribed the gatekeeper. The story of betrayal is all too familiar to us. Betrayal happened back then, it happened to Jesus, and it happens to us all. So how can you tell if someone is a true friend? The rich and famous always have plenty of friends circling around them. But when misfortune robs them of their wealth, fame, status, or power, they quickly realize that those who were around them weren't their friends after all. It's been said that a true friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out. So let's be honest. Are you and I real friends of Jesus? Isn't it true that we pray and hope that nothing goes wrong in our life and that we can be in charge? Instead of being a true friend, do we not treat God as an emergency contact, someone to rely on when we are in trouble? Or do we treat God more like a spear tire in our cars or a parachute in airplanes? Something that we have just in case. But we hope we never have to use them. Instead of calling on God only when we are in need, why not learn to surrender to God and learn to rely on Him at all times, as Jesus did? Jesus obeyed the Father's will and remained faithful all the way to the cross. So let me ask you this question. Let me help to put things in the proper perspective. Who works for whom? Do you work for God? Or does God work for you? Who's the boss? You or God? Now we journey with Jesus as he is brought before the Pontius Pilate.

SPEAKER_08 6:51

Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Where you there when enail him to the tree?

SPEAKER_06 7:18

Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate's headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate went out to them and said, What accusation do you bring against this man?

SPEAKER_10 7:39

They answered, If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you. Pilate said to them, Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law. They replied, We are not permitted to put anyone to death.

SPEAKER_06 7:55

This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die. Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, Are you the king of the Jews?

SPEAKER_07 8:12

Do you ask this on your own? Or did others tell you about me?

SPEAKER_09 8:16

I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?

SPEAKER_07 8:23

My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here. So you are a king. You say that I'm a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice. What is truth?

SPEAKER_06 8:57

After he had said this, Pilate went out to the Jews again and told them, I find no case against him.

SPEAKER_09 9:05

But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews?

SPEAKER_10 9:12

They shouted in reply, Not this man, but Barabbas.

SPEAKER_06 9:17

Now Barabbas was abandoned. Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe.

SPEAKER_05 9:30

They kept coming up to him and saying, Hail, King of the Jews!

SPEAKER_06 9:35

And they struck him on the face.

SPEAKER_09 9:38

Pilate went out again and said to them, Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.

SPEAKER_06 9:52

So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, Here is the man. When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, Crucify Him!

SPEAKER_10 10:09

Crucify Him!

SPEAKER_09 10:11

Pilate said to them, Take him yourselves and crucify him. I find no case against him.

SPEAKER_10 10:18

They answered him, We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die, because he has claimed to be the Son of God.

SPEAKER_06 10:27

Now, when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, Where are you from? But Jesus gave him no answer.

SPEAKER_09 10:40

Pilate therefore said to him, Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you and power to crucify you?

SPEAKER_07 10:51

You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore, the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.

SPEAKER_06 11:01

From then on, Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor.

SPEAKER_10 11:10

Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.

SPEAKER_06 11:14

When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge's bench at a place called the Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover, and it was about noon. Pilate said to the Jews, Here is your king.

SPEAKER_10 11:42

They cried out, Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!

SPEAKER_06 11:48

Pilate asked them, Shall I crucify your king? The chief priests answered, We have no king but the emperor. Then Pilate handed Jesus over to them to be crucified.

SPEAKER_04 12:02

Before Alexander the Great died, he left three specific and unusual instructions for his funeral. Firstly, he wanted his casket to be carried to the cemetery by the best doctors in the country. Secondly, he wanted his hands to be dangling outside of the casket. And finally, he wanted all his wealth to be displayed along the way to the cemetery. What was the reason for this? He wanted the best doctors to carry his casket, to let people know that no doctors can save us from that. He wanted his hands to be dangling outside of the casket to show that we are born into this world empty-handed. We also leave this world empty-handed. And finally, he wanted all of his wealth displayed along the road to show that the power and wealth means absolutely nothing when we are dead. Because we can't bring any of our worldly possessions with us. Remember that the power or wealth we possess in this life, we possess temporarily and imperfectly. Whatever power and wealth we have in this life, we can lose them at any time. And most certainly, we all have to part with them when we die. When Pontius Pilate spoke to Jesus, do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you and power to crucify you? He thought he had power, but the irony is that he didn't. It was Jesus who was really in charge. Jesus willingly laid down his life for the salvation of the world. Pontius Pilate didn't have power over the angry mob outside because he was afraid of them and lacked the courage to do what was right. He cowardly washed his hands and abdicated his authority. Having authority is meaningless if you lack the courage to use it in the right way. Abuse of power is not power. Using it in the right way is Pontius Pilate, ignore the pleas of his conscience in order to hang on to his power. But he lost his moral authority as a result of it. Let us pray that we may always have the courage to defend the truth and choose to do what is right. May I continue with the passion? As Jesus surrenders himself and dies on the cross, we stand with Mary, our mother, at the foot of God crossed.

SPEAKER_06 15:31

So they took Jesus and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called the place of the skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. Many of the people read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek.

SPEAKER_10 16:13

Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, Do not write the King of the Jews, but this man said, I am King of the Jews.

SPEAKER_06 16:24

Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written. When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic. Now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top.

SPEAKER_05 16:44

So they said to one another, Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.

SPEAKER_06 16:50

This was to fulfill what Scripture says. They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots, and that is what the soldiers did. Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary, the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loves standing beside her, he said to his mother, Woman, here is your son. Then he said to the disciple, Here is your mother. And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, in order to fulfill the scripture, he said, I am thirsty. A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, It is finished. Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Since it was the day of preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies to be left on the cross during the Sabbath, especially because that Sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth. These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled. None of his bones shall be broken. And again, another passage of scripture says, They will look on the one whom they have pierced. After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one, because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission, so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about a hundred weight. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with spices in linen cloth, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the day of preparation and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

SPEAKER_04 20:29

In St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, there's a famous statue called Pietà by Michelangelo. It is a depiction of our blessed mother holding the lifeless body of our son on her lap, holding him and caring for him. One of the striking features is that our blessed mother is much bigger than Jesus. If you actually stood her up, she would simply tower over Jesus. It was Michelangelo's artistic expression of the power of life and love. That life is stronger than death, and love is stronger than hatred. We all know that mothers offer their nurturing love to their children. Most importantly, our mothers are our biggest fans with their unwavering support, no matter the outcome. Can a newborn baby talk, walk, or feed himself or herself? No, not yet. Someday the baby will be able to. When the baby takes a first step or utters the first word, a mom isn't embarrassed because the baby isn't perfect. Mothers aren't ashamed of our failures, but proud of the progress we make. And yet, a mother's love and support are but an imitation of God's love. God is not ashamed of us or our failures. Instead, God is proud of the progress we make, no matter How small. God knows we are not perfect. That is why Jesus came to save us. Let us remember it was not when Jesus was preaching or performing miracles that he was saving the world. But when he obediently surrendered himself on the cross. The cross is where God meets us. The cross is where God redeems us. A Sufi poet Rumi once said, The wound is the place where the light enters you. And it rings true in my life. I'm sure we all have our crosses, our wounds, pain, and suffering from our daily struggles. If we let the light of Christ enter into our hearts, and the power of God's love shine into our wounds, God can transform our suffering in pain and heal them. Remember that Jesus laid down his life to save yours and became wounded to heal your wounds.

SPEAKER_06 23:06

Join us in this prayer of adoration. We adore your cross, O Lord. We praise and glorify your holy resurrection. For behold, because of the wood of a tree, joy has come to the whole world. May God have mercy on us and bless us. May He let His face shed its light upon us and have mercy on us.

SPEAKER_04 23:42

May abundant blessing, O Lord, we pray, descend upon your people who have honored the death of your Son in the hope of their resurrection. May pardon come, comfort be given, holy faith increase, and everlasting redemption be made secure through Christ our Lord. Amen.

SPEAKER_01 24:11

Jesus on the cross is dying. Soon his body will be lying in the darkness of the womb. God's own mother purest maiden sees the sinless once in laden blessed fruit of blessed wound Mary's heart for him is aching as she sees her son's heart breaking, so that love may be revealed now at last her heart is feeling sorrow sort of revealing such in many hearts concealed How could pity not awaken for the Son of God forsaken in the loneliness of death Who would not give consolation in this mother's desolation as he breathed his dying breath? Mary's heart for him is bleeding in his blood for sinners bleeding, God's new love is sealed. It is done she hears him crying at the moment of his dying. Death by death has now been ealed. Let me stand beside you sharing grief for Jesus my sins buried on the cross of Calvary By the cross your vigil keeping let me share your silent weeping, pierce my heart with sorrow let me throw in humble fashion share with you the bitter passion of us on your brand let me bear the wounds of Jesus, drink the precious blood that frees us glory only in his cross. Let the cross be my salvation Jesus as my consolation in that hour when I must lie Queen of Heaven by the merit of your son let me inherit joy with all the same.

SPEAKER_00 28:19

Join us tomorrow for day forty, Holy Saturday Reflections with Father Ernie DeCiccio. For more information, please email us at info at ncbc.ca, visit our website at daily tvmass.com, or call our office toll-free at one eight eight eight-three eight three six two two two two two two two two two two seven seven seven seven seven seven seven.