Good Friday, Mar. 29, 2013
Fr. Joseph Eddy, O. de M.
Yesterday, Holy Thursday, our new Pope washed the feet of inmates at a juvenile detention center on the outskirts of Rome. This was the first time in recent history that the Holy Father was outside of Rome for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. Yet, it was actually in keeping with the practice of Francis when he was an Archbishop.
He was “cut to the heart” in discovering Christian captivesSt. Peter Nolasco was shocked and moved in finding Christians held captive and in danger of losing their faith. Read more about his heroic life and what he did about it on the website of the .
Visit the Mercedarians’
Over the past several Holy Weeks in Buenos Aires, the former Cardinal Bergoglio washed the feet of people in prisons, hospitals or shelters of the poor. This act of humility draws special attention to Jesus’ love for the poor and outcaste. Not only does Jesus have a preferential love for the poor, but He became one of them for us.
The outcasts have dignity
Who are the outcasts in our society? The ones from “whom people hide their face?” Have not the elderly become this for many people in America? Once they were revered and respected as possessing wisdom, but today more often than not they are looked upon as a burden. Oh, yes, we would never use the word “burden,” for it is not polite. Yet, we will place our elders in a nursing home, out the way, and visit them rarely. We, in our society, increasingly look at old age and suffering as unnecessary and pointless.
For this reason, states such as Oregon, have approved Assisted Suicide, while several others, such as New Jersey and Massachusetts have seriously considered it. Many are pushing states to follow European countries, such as the Netherlands, in employing suicide even without the person’s consent to “preserve their dignity.” And there are many horror stories such as Kathryn Judson, who overheard here a doctor in Oregon giving her seriously ill husband a “sales pitch.” He told Mr. Judson, “Think of what it will spare your wife; we need to think of her.” Kathryn’s husband lived 5 more years, yet she had to carefully avoid leaving him with any “die with dignity” instructions for the nurses. Yes, assisted suicide numbers are up in Oregon, but one wonders how free is the choice with health professionals encouraging many to “die with dignity.”
Embracing your cross
What about Jesus? Anyone who saw the motion picture The Passion of the Christ knows that the Lord’s face was indeed “marred beyond that of human semblance.” Those without faith would likely scream “just stay down!” Or, “Why are you embracing your cross?” The amount of suffering endured by Jesus in the scourging and crowning with thorns may very well have been enough to kill even the strongest of men.
But, Jesus was not just a man! He is the God Man, fully human and fully divine. To Christ “dying with dignity” meant carrying His cross to the end. Jesus Christ is the Word. The second person of the Most Holy Trinity is the Word which created the universe. He gave life and He is the only one to say “Consummatum est” or “It is finished”! Jesus shows us that suffering is not pointless. As Isaiah prophesizes in the first reading, “Through his suffering my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear.” Every ounce of energy; every drop of blood that comes forth from the Savior is precious and efficacious. The angels in heaven marvel at the Lord as He gives everything for sinful man.
Until God says we’re finished
In the Cross of Christ our sufferings too, have great value. The grandmother offering the witness of patient suffering to her grandchildren. The grandfather who offers up each day every ache and pain for the conversion of the world, for you and me. Their lives, fully lived, are priceless. It is arrogance and stupidity to judge someone’s worth based on what they can or cannot do physically. Only God can judge when a person has fulfilled their mission physically, psychologically, and spiritually. It is then that Jesus, the Word, says “It is finished!”
In contemplating Jesus’ passion and death we see our true dignity. “God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten Son…”(Jn. 3:16) to carry his cross, fall several times, get up, and be nailed to a tree that we might have life. Let us cherish our lives as he cherished them that first Good Friday. Walking with Jesus on this pilgrimage until HE calls us home. When once again Jesus utters those words: It is finished.