Editorial

Good Friday is the day when we stand in awe of the humility of God

Behold the wood of the cross, on which hung the salvation of the world: come, let us adore. (cf. Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion)

Good Friday is a day of mourning, and it is a day of silence. It is a day on which the Light of the World seems to have been snuffed out by the darkness of sin and death.

On Good Friday, the brilliant light of heaven might seem forever hidden behind dark clouds of gloom. But the silence of Good Friday prepares us for the exuberant songs of the Easter Vigil—the “Exultet” and the great Alleluia that proclaim Christ’s victory over sin and death.

Good Friday solemnly honors the triumph of humility over self-centered pride. It reminds us that Jesus did not consider equality with God something to cling to. Instead, he emptied himself, taking the form of a servant and becoming human (cf. Phil 2:6-9). And in the ultimate act of humility, in order to sacrifice his life for us, Jesus freely accepted one of the cruelest forms of capital punishment ever invented: death by crucifixion.

Good Friday commends the wisdom of God which is quite unlike human wisdom (cf. 1 Cor 1:20-24):

Where is the wise one? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish? For since in the wisdom of God the world did not come to know God through wisdom, it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation to save those who have faith. For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

For, as St. Paul says, “the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength” (1 Cor 1:25).

Good Friday is the day when we stand in awe before the humility of God. It is the day when the Church reminds us that the freedom, the love and the happiness that every human being seeks are only made possible through the miracle of self-giving love.

What we recall today is God’s free decision to suffer and die for our sins. It is a painful memory that should cause each of us to feel remorse for our part in this day of sadness—for our contributions to the burden of sin that Jesus carried on his shoulders as he made his way to his crucifixion.

But the paradox of Good Friday is that the Via Dolorosa is not a dead end. Instead, it is a road that opens the way to salvation. And so, without ever forgetting the bitter tears that were shed on this day by Mary and those few who loved him enough to stand by him at the foot of the cross, we rejoice and thank God for the great gift of this day of remembrance and of peace.

God’s humility, his sacrifice on the cross, has something profoundly important to teach us. The way to happiness is the Way of the Cross. That means that we will never find true happiness by seeking wealth, power, success or fame. We will never discover the freedom and love we desire if we dedicate ourselves to our own comfort and satisfaction. God’s humility teaches us that true love is found in sacrifice and true happiness comes not when we cling to life’s blessings and comforts, but when we share them generously with others.

Good Friday gives us the opportunity to praise God for his humility and for the great gift of his self-giving love, even as we mourn his cruel and utterly undeserving condemnation and death on a cross. Good Friday extols the humility of God that paradoxically (by our earthly standards) has exalted the name of Jesus Christ above all other names—so that at this name every knee should bend and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father!

Praise God for his self-giving love! May the name of Jesus Christ be praised, now and forever! May we always remember his sacrifice on the Cross, which has won our salvation and shown us the way to happiness and peace! A blessed Good Friday to all!

—Daniel Conway