Short homily for Good Friday
The account of the Passion according to Saint John, which we have just heard, has a different characteristic from that of the other three Gospels. In this account, John presents us with an image of Jesus in line with the one he developed throughout his Gospel. It is the image of a Jesus who is the revelation of the Father and who is also, in His person, the full manifestation of love.
All His life, He did the Father's will. Paradoxically, His death on the Cross is a victory. His last word is the final point not only of His Passion, but of His whole life: ‘It is finished,’ He said. The Father's will to confer salvation on humanity is fully accomplished in Him.
The last words of the story already evoke the Resurrection. Jesus' body is laid in a new tomb. And we know that, on the third day, those who search for this body will find an empty tomb.
Today's celebration is part of the celebration of the Paschal mystery. Even on Good Friday, we do not celebrate a dead Christ. In Christian worship, we never celebrate a dead Christ. We always celebrate a risen Christ. Today we remember His passage through death; but we are well aware that it was only a passage. He passed through death alive, but He rose again and is still alive. We celebrate this Christ alive in our world, in our Church, in each of us.
The memory of His passion allows us to understand a little of the immensity of His love for us, since He suffered so much to give us eternal life too.
He lived this passion of love for all His people, as yesterday's Gospel text, also taken from the Gospel of John, reminded us. All His people are those who received Him as well as those who did not receive Him – all His brothers and sisters in humanity.
Armand Veilleux