Jn 18:1 - 19:42
The memorial events marking the fiftieth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz reminded us
again of the savagery that human beings inflict on one another. It is not that we need to delve into
history for evidence of such brutality with ongoing wars and totalitarian regimes always developing
more sophisticated techniques of human torture. What is new is that television brings the experience
of such depravity from all over the world into the heart of our homes, where sometimes there is great
cruelty already. One danger is that familiarity makes us almost immune to the pain of this
indescribable suffering. It also means that the sufferings of Jesus in his passion pale into
insignificance by comparison with modem atrocities. But the core of the passion story of Jesus is not
the intensity of his pain, intense though it was, but the person who endured the sufferings and the
love that motivated him to do so.
The mystery is that an all-powerful God allowed the Son to suffer such a death at all. The
explanation is the overwhelming love that the same God has for each one of us. On Good Friday,
we ponder the mystery and we bask in the love. We realize that each one of us is so precious to Jesus
that he actually died for us. The awesomeness of such love is both reassuring and challenging. It
strengthens our confidence that all will be well for us in God's plan. It evokes a longing in us to live
as the beloved family of such a loving God. We glory in the cross of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
(From Living the Word, p. 167. Copyright 1996 by Tom Clancy. The Columba Press, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission. This book is available through the Homiletic Resource Center at a discount. Your patronage will help to keep this page as a free resource.)