Good Friday​ (Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 22; Hebrews 10:16-25; John 18:1-19:42)

Standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, his aunt, Mary the wife of Clopas, Mary Magdalene, and the beloved disciple who was considered to be St John. Out of all these five people at the feet of Jesus, Mary the Blessed Mother stands out for one reason only. She’s the sole witness of the Paschal Mystery in Jesus from the very beginning till the end, from the incarnation to the crucifixion and then to the resurrection. 

This brings us all the way back to the season of Advent in December. Mary was the first human being to encounter the coming of God into this world, especially God becoming flesh into her womb. To the message of the angel Gabriel that she would deliver the Son of God, Mary the teenage refuge girl responded, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38) Her ‘yes’ (fiat) or free obedience to the will of God, her courage and willingness to respond to be the mother of God opens up the mystery of the incarnation. 

Mary was the one who treasured all the things that were said about Jesus and pondered them in her heart even before he was born. Let’s recall what Simeon said to her: “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Luke 2:34-35) Not only did she hear what was going to happen to her son but also how her own soul would be pierced as well. She probably knew what Jesus meant when Jesus responded to her request of performing a miracle of producing wine at the wedding in Cana, “My hour has not yet come.” (John 2:4) That hour was the hour that her own soul would be pierced. 

Mary’s call then was not only about bearing the Son of God in her womb but also being a faithful witness to the Paschal Mystery from the very beginning. The incarnation came through the womb of Mary. The resurrection came through the womb of the cross. Mary’s vocation to be the witness to the incarnation, Jesus’ earthly ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection mirrors the life of the Church. 

And now in today’s gospel lesson for Good Friday, we see Mary, the mother of Jesus, standing underneath the cross on which her son is hung and dying. Her own soul is pierced. Jesus’ cry on the cross becomes hers, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken my son? Why have you forsaken me?” There’s one unspoken rule in pediatric units, at least among chaplains. That is, we never tell parents to go home and rest. It is utterly impossible for parents to leave their sick child’s bedside. They eat there. They sleep on a couch or a cot next to their child. They never leave the bedside. I think of Mary whenever I see these parents whose hearts are pierced. 

I would like us to imagine that we are in the place of Mary on this Good Friday. We stand where Jesus is hung on the cross. We stand near his cross with Mary, her sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, Mary Magdalene, and St John. As Jesus’ head, hands, and feet are pierced, our hearts are pierced. What we’re looking at is God who enters into the suffering of those who are suffering through his wounds. What we’re looking at is God who grants us courage to be with the pierced. We not only see a 33-year old Jewish male dying on the cross but also envision with faith the resurrected one who triumphs death. 

Standing at the feet of the cross of Jesus, we also hear his voice. “Behold your son.” “Behold your mother.” There has never been a time when Jesus’ ministry ever stopped. There has never been a time when God stopped working. Hung on the cross, Jesus creates a community of the resurrection. He connects people in a radically different way. Not bound by culture, nationality, tribe, gender, race, class, or anything else, but united in communion with Jesus. He embraces all with his arms stretched upon the cross. He establishes the Church, a new family of God, as he’s getting closer and looking forward to entering the door of the resurrection. 

On this Good Friday, in silence to listen louder in our hearts, we once again stand close to the cross of Jesus. Let’s look around. And listen to his voice. “Behold your son.” “Behold your daughter.” “Behold your father.” “Behold your mother.” We find this cross of Jesus outside the church too. We stand near his cross and listen carefully to his voice that says, “Behold your son, behold your daughter, behold your sister, behold your brother, behold your mother, behold your father only to love and forgive…”

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.