Was it his curing of the sick? Matthew 16:21-25. Friday is the road to Sunday. #fujifilmxpro2 #mitakon35mmf095. We mark ourselves with the sign of the cross and walk with Fr. Today is Good Friday. The Cross changes everything. Good Friday is the day we remember the crucifixion of Jesus, but there’s more to it than remembering; our task as preachers is to call people to the Cross.. We want to embrace the resurrection, but Jesus calls us to the Cross, too. It may seem strange that we celebrate someone’s death but this was no ordinary person. It is Good Friday, so spend half an hour at the cross of Jesus. The Day God Died: A Reflection on Good Friday and the Crucifixion. But what is it exactly that we’re encountering in this form of prayer? All we’re proud of. On which the prince of glory died. For this would be all there is. We can bring it forward to the cross. There is no resurrection without the Cross. There is the light. It does not possess the last laugh. It does not hold the victory. Because Sunday’s coming. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. My richest gain I count but loss. Tonight we encounter the cross. But pain insists upon being attended to. Not just his words, his very life is a parable. Change ). Thank you for sacrificing for me. Loneliness that does not fade. Many here have their own versions. More to come. Reflection Questions for Good Friday It is customary on Good Friday, that day when we remember Jesus Christ crucified, to say a few words about the cross. Do you want a successful church? Tonight, we consider this fact. When is the last time you spoke to your people about suffering? 7 take our fill . “Once you’ve been to the Cross, everything changes.” Stumbling We were given the everlasting gift of the Eucharist. Take this suffering away from me. ( Log Out /  Ray Hollenbach is the author of 50 Forgotten Days, a devotional for the season after Easter. Intellectually minded people want wisdom and truth. Meditations for Good Friday on the Way of the Cross. He knew the Father’s promise of resurrection, but death still lay ahead of him. To suffer. Good Friday Reflection on the Logic of the Cross. If something’s pursuing you, then perhaps the event that will change everything for you is the Cross. . . Three crucifixes against a foreboding sky… is just one image of it. Here are two of the phrases Jesus uttered on the Cross: “Why have you forsaken me?” and “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”. We survived it, but the stranger did not. There is more. The earliest believers called the Cross “the wisdom of God and power of God” (I Corinthians 1:23-24). “This is an absolutely fundamental truth: God can draw good out of everything, both good and bad, positive and negative.” — Fr. We come face to face with Christ in those who suffer. Pat Fitzpatrick on the way to the cross.. Then how else can we encounter the cross? Today’s service is one of meditation and prayer – an opportunity to … But first, it’s about the Cross. Good Friday Reflection. Those who saw his intelligence wondered how someone so smart could miscalculate so badly. Friday is the road to Sunday. Perhaps you would say: thank you. Good Friday Sermons - Tre Ore - Good Friday Meditation It is a good and praiseworthy custom to spend Good Friday in silent prayer and reflection as best we can, while going about our duties. Hearing God – Are You Sure You Want to Know His Will? The reason why we celebrate Easter. The question is: what you would say to that person if you could? This year more people are talking about Easter and about the cross of Christ because of Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ. It was his trust in the Father’s promise that caused him to wager everything he had, his very life. What God offers us all is first the Cross. If that’s our reaction, are we too then betraying Christ? . Thank you for giving up your life for mine. 6 Come then, let us enjoy the good things of today, let us . Our job as pastors is to tell the truth to His people: There’s a Good Friday for all of us. It is representative of the day that Christ was crucified. Four readings and reflections on Good Friday, with songs and prayers. What a cruel and torturous path. Keywords: Good Friday, Jesus, Passion, Crucifixion, Catholic Church, Pope Francis, Michael Terheyden KNOXVILLE, TN (Catholic Online) - Pope Francis said something during his very first general audience that inspired me to reflect on the suffering Jesus endured during his Passion for the sake of our redemption. By Siân In Reflections. All we’re ashamed of. Try to see that His physical death was nothing other than an act of perfect love for the Father and an act into which we are invited to participate. We want to embrace the resurrection, but Jesus calls us to the Cross, too. Not merely collectively, but for us individually. Through our readings we listen to salvation history unfold in climactic scenes: the moment that Isaiah foretold; the hope of redemption that the psalmist sings; and the exquisite moment that Jesus offers us, modeling how to love without condition. He was born of Mary and grew up as we did. We could understand Judas’ actions completely. What a gift! April 10, 2020. April 11, 2020. But we pass by it. Try this one: Things are always darkest just before they go pitch black. Here are four preaching points for a Good Friday message: Good Friday Message Point #1. The tradition was begun in the 17th century by a Jesuit priest in Peru. We mark ourselves with the sign of the cross and walk with Fr. The first reflection on the cross is that there’s no Easter Sunday without Good Friday. Was it the promise of eternal life? Crucifixion was a terrible way to die. A child lost too young. Listen to the Crucifixion story, reflect, and pray. A Good Friday Reflection - Half Hour at the Cross of Jesus. ( Log Out /  Now if you were going to object to anything that Jesus said or did… you could certainly understand if this was it. Through these Stations of the Cross, we follow in Jesus’ footsteps from Pilate’s palace, to Calvary. We want to embrace the resurrection, but Jesus calls us to the Cross, too. Reflections on the Way to the Cross – Good Friday at regular mass times on television. It cannot stop us. This is a guest post by Brian Davis, Visit Brian’s band site here. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. It is not what we do but how much love we put into it.” — Mother Teresa #fujifilmx100v, “Since every human being only has a finite amount of energy, it becomes incredibly important to have a serious conversation with yourself, where you ask: ‘What do I want to do with my life? The cross. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! This fifteen minute video has three sections: - A Good Friday reflection on the Cross (8m 20s). On Good Friday, Reflections on Jesus’ Seven Last Words. How can those two go together? Though we were born thousands of years later, he did this act for us personally. On this Good Friday, as you gaze upon the crucifixion of Jesus and reflect upon His brutal agony and His earthly death, try to look beyond His human suffering to His perfect surrender. This year we will have a special presentation on Good Friday – Reflections on the Way to the Cross by Father Pat Fitzpatrick C.S.Sp. Tonight, as we venerate the cross, let us thank the one who sacrificed for us. During this time there are periods of quite for reflection. He has barely managed, gasping and exhausted, to get to the top of that hillock called ‘the place of skulls’. No… I suspect it was the very idea of the cross. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. It was the road for Jesus; it is the road for us. And death was still death, even for Jesus. Suffering does happen. Reflect with me on the crown of thorns, the hammer and nails, and the dice the soldiers rolled for the robe of Christ. When describing what it meant to be a disciple, to truly be a disciple, Jesus said to his apostles: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24). Especially at the time Jesus was on the cross, it is good to stop everything and take time to pray and meditate, whether we are at home, or in church. I always come to Good Friday with mixed emotions. To come face to face with three crucifixes atop a hill and set against a foreboding sky. — Henri J.M. Religious-minded people want miracles and power. Ego is heavy, happiness is light.” — Yung Pueblo #fujifilmx100v, “Wherever God has put you, that is your vocation. Tonight we encounter the cross. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. On the churchleaders.com website is a powerful article written by Pastor Ray Hollenbach entitled “Good Friday: 4 Powerful Reflections on the Cross”.In part, I share it with you below. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Well… perhaps if so, then is Judas any better than us? Last night we considered the prayer and the promise of Christ. Without fail, if you ask someone why Good Friday is considered good, you’ll probably get some variation on the same answer…. What was it that Jesus said or did that he found objectionable or unacceptable? The very idea of Good Friday causes us concern. But this is merely the middle. The final reflection on the cross is that it builds faith. It’s quite another to go to the Cross willingly. Their emotions show on their faces and in their body language. The third reflection on the cross is that nothing changes without the cross. Why You DON’T Need Shiny and New Church Fads, Good Friday: 4 Powerful Reflections on the Cross. The problem is that both his power and wisdom led him to the Cross, a brutal denial of everything he had done before. But… we surely know that this is part of life. 50 Forgotten Days: A Journey Into the Age to Come. REFLECTION ON THE CROSS. For this would be all there is. If nothing is changing, maybe you haven’t been to the Cross. Reflections on the Cross: As followers of Jesus, we need to embrace Good Friday, which is a little bit like saying we need to embrace torture. The idea of having to pick up the cross. And impossible to avoid. I. Good Friday provides the opportunity to proclaim, “Once you’ve been to the Cross, everything changes.” Stumbling blocks and foolishness turn into power and wisdom. Judas must have thought: I don’t think so. Jacques Philippe #fujifilmx100v #sunset #capecod, I see summer just around the corner! Those who had seen his power wondered why he seemed powerless at his greatest need. The cross. And then… and then…. Or, we can approach with gratitude. Please not me. Grim. In the words of CS Lewis – “We can ignore … pleasure. . It wasn’t just the people of Jesus’ day who had a problem with the Cross. . We could understand Judas’ actions completely. Good Friday is the day we remember the crucifixion of Jesus, but there’s more to it than remembering; our task to call people to the Cross. You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God but the things of men.”. And pour contempt on all my pride. Both sides missed what Jesus and his Father were saying: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone, but if it dies, it produces many” (John 12:24). Reflections on Good Friday 2021. The second reflection on the cross is that we would all prefer to ignore it. We touch it, we kiss it. At least three times, Jesus shared his destiny with the disciples. We can offer to Jesus exactly what we have made of his sacrifice for us, what we have done with it. We watch love expand on Good Friday. To encounter the cross. First, we can approach it with dread, for we know precisely what it represents. This is a stumbling block for us to consider today: that both his power and wisdom led him to the Cross. This is a very important date in the Christian faith. A Reflection for Good Friday As Good Friday nears, I’ve been thinking about some of the items associated with the weekend, and their significance. We were not made to last forever. A Good Friday Reflection Through Art of the Cross. It didn’t fit into anyone’s picture back then, either. I would like to suggest that there are two possible answers to this question. Some of us get 80 years, some 100. One possible visual. Reading (from Luke 23 39-43) One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you … By Jo-Ann Badley. Al Lauer said that we could imagine that we were walking across an intersection one day and find ourself shoved out of the way of a passing car by a stranger. A Good Friday Reflection on the Cross of Jesus Christ. Each year we come together on Good Friday to praise God and to recall again the wonderful gift of salvation which God wrought fro us through the death of His only begotten Son. Let us acknowledge what his mercy has meant to our lives. We go through it. For myself as for other Christians it’s a day when we remember Jesus’s death on the cross. Were those the things that prompted Judas to betray Christ? ( Log Out /  Was it the idea of loving our enemies? An illness that progresses. The late Fr. ENTER YOUR EMAIL FOR TIPS ON HOW TO HAVE A THRIVING CHURCH! They didn’t understand. . We have a form of prayer called the Veneration of the Cross whereby we all come forward and stand face to face with it… we encounter it. #fujifilmx100v #capecod, “Humility and happiness travel through the same mental walkway. I choose to say no. The famous sermon says, “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming!” More properly, the point of the story is that Friday is the road to Sunday. Words are not needed. People prefer not to dwell on such things. The whole of Jesus’ life is directed towards this supreme moment. So, the cross is difficult, but it is not final. What a terrifying notion. Easter is indeed about the empty tomb. It never will. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. However, sometimes in the hubbub of commentary, we can lose the posture of reflection and meditation which this sweetest and darkest of … Good Friday is the drama of the Love by which our every day is sustained.”. Can we be honest with our congregations? After all, who respects suffering? With the angel’s word at the Annunciation, the rewinding of history began. Some of us get much, much less. Mistakes we have a hard time moving beyond. Was it saying that the first shall be last and the last shall be first? “Never, Lord!” he said. Good Friday is the middle of the Triduum. ( Log Out /  Dismal. The Good Friday story is full of imagery that reminds us that makes it clear that Christ is the new Passover that allows God’s wrath to pass from the faithful. Today, on Good Friday, we remember his Seven Last Words, which have been widely used in Good Friday homilies. Jesus predicted his death and resurrection. Most of us call it Calvary or the place For you and for me. But if it ended here now, then we would be right to dread it. We can come upon it with dread, being the stark, grim, dismal thing that it is. We encounter it. Even at his death, Jesus showed us how to trust the Father beyond the circumstances. When I survey the wondrous cross. Good Friday is the middle of the Triduum. More challenging still is the fact that Jesus embraced this destiny by faith. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts. It is the set up for the resurrection. There is no real Freedom unless and until this slave enters the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. All we have built, all we still have yet to build. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. From that time on, Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Behold the wood of the cross, on which has hung our salvation: come let us adore (Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion). Last night we considered the prayer and the promise of Christ. Prayer Around The Cross GOOD FRIDAY ‘Into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit’ 2 The way of the cross is based upon bible reflections on how Jesus carrying his cross, walked through the streets in Jerusalem towards the place of execution called Golgotha. Make sure your sound is on and put it on full screen for the duration. Reflections on the Cross – Good Friday, 2nd of April 2021 Of all days of the Triduum for many Good Friday and devotion to the cross is where reality and faith are meet in an intimate way and speak deeply to each other! So, when we encounter the cross, is our reaction: please no? Good Friday is the Friday before Easter Sunday. Enter your email below to get tips on how to get your church to thrive! On Good Friday, the Cross stands at the center of our thoughts and our liturgy as the living symbol of God’s all-embracing love of us, of Jesus’ extension of that love as he stretched his arms, a love voiced in his plea, “ I thirst ” – the Lord thirsts for our love – as his love is made visible in his pain, suffering and death he endured for our sake.