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Gospel Reflection for Friday, April 18, 2025
Today’s Readings Are Full of Paradoxes
Who can believe this? Who will believe what we have seen and heard? No one, in their “right” mind, would understand it. A person who, through blows and injuries, has lost their human form. A God who submits in obedience to all suffering. A scandal for the Jews, madness for the Gentiles… yet the wisdom of God.
This wisdom of God is the only thing that truly saves us from the personal and global madness we fall into again and again. Only that Cross lifted high (like the serpent in the desert), gazed upon, holds the power to heal. Therefore, on Friday, there are no reasons or words to offer, only silence and contemplation. The act of venerating the wood of the Cross is profoundly meaningful; it conveys the truth contained in the sign. “We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, for by your holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.”