Commentary on the Gospel of
it’s ‘silent’ Good Friday
Today is ‘GOOD FRIDAY!’ What a silent day? For once, it dawned on me that the entire world could be reduced to ‘complete silence’ almost at the same time. As the torments of COVID-19 raged, imposing fear, pain and death! I scanned through the normally ‘very busy cities’ of the world: from Madrid to Paris; London to Rome; Delhi to Manila; Jerusalem to Mecca; Melbourne to New York city; Lagos to Johannesburg; Nairobi to Casablanca. Lo and behold, the story is the same, motionless as the graveyard, dead silence! No cinemas nor visits to parks; no football nor basketball; no hockey nor tennis; the streets are void of human beings, churches are closed!!
The climax was watching Pope Francis stand alone in St. Peter’s Square while giving the ‘Urbi et Orbi blessing!’ Coronavirus has exposed man’s powerlessness!! We pray that this unique experience brings all human beings to the realization that we are finite, not in control of God’s world, and therefore bring God back to the centre of all there is. Let us accept our fragility. May the Good news of the Good Friday come back alive in each of us. For though fragile, with Christ at the centre, we are undefeated.
The Good news, namely, that our Lord Jesus Christ turned ‘the silence’ that shrouded the day of His passion and crucifixion into our moment of redemption! On this day (at His longed awaited hour, amid pains) His Most precious blood flows out, washing away the sins of the whole world, turning an ordinary day into ‘the one and only GOOD FRIDAY!’ Our sins are forgiven!! We are liberated!!! The Cross henceforth marks the story of our salvation, becomes our anchor, our rudder, our hope as Pope Francis puts it:
“we have an anchor: by his cross we have been saved. We have a rudder: by his cross we have been redeemed. We have a hope: by his cross we have been healed and embraced so that nothing and no one can separate us from his redeeming love.” (Urbi et Orbi, 27/03/2020).
God you are so good, thank you Father for the gift of your only begotten Son. Lord Jesus, you lay down your life for us – now salvation is ours. Eternity here we are! Thank you, Christ the Lord!! We are Saved!!!
