April 10, 2009 Good Friday Is. 52:13-53:12; Heb. 4:14-16, 5:7-9;  Jn. 18:1-19:42 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________   Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/041009.shtml               ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________     Love was and is the meaning of the cross of Christ. The cross of Jesus does not promise that we will understand every "why" of our living. It doesn't promise that we will understand the mystery of Christ's suffering and death in a direct and logical way. It does not promise that we will be able to make sense of the evil and sorrow of this world. What it does promise is this: love, God's love surrounding us and giving us strength, God's love never failing us nor abandoning us. The cross is the sign of solidarity, of God's solidarity with us whatever happens in this life and in this world.     The Cross speaks of the compassion of God. The cross sketches a love without limits, an engagement with creation that has no boundaries. Not even death itself can take Jesus beyond the reach of God's desire for life to prevail. Death will not be allowed to have the last word, even when it seems that death is the only word we can hear. The most hopeless situations of failure and loss remain within the scope of God's compassion. The Cross speaks to personal discipleship. Knowing where his own journey of faithfulness might lead, Jesus called on those who would follow him to take up their own cross and find ways of faithfulness in the everyday challenges of ordinary life. May the Cross speak to us. May the Cross shape us. May the Cross inspire us. May the Cross empower us. May the Cross unite us.     <<   Previous: Maundy Thursday  | Next: Easter Sunday >>     Go Back to SERMONS (Year B)