Good Friday: a kaleidoscope of faces

Good Friday

a kaleidoscope of faces (priests, soldiers, women of Jerusalem, Simon, family, the crucified)

It is difficult, I think, to imagine ourselves at the foot of the Cross of Jesus of Nazareth. It is not that I do not want to be with Jesus, supporting our crucified and dying God, as he begins his final battle. No, it is for me that fact that, sometimes, I cannot look at the consequences of our sin, my sin, squarely in the face. This year, hesitantly, I am going to try.

Biblical Texts

³⁴Then about that time Jesus shouted, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you deserted me?" ³⁵Some of the people standing there heard Jesus and said, "He is calling for Elijah." ³⁶One of them ran and grabbed a sponge. After he had soaked it in wine, he put it on a stick and held it up to Jesus. He said, "Let's wait and see if Elijah will come and take him down!" ³⁷Jesus shouted and then died (Mark 15: 34-37)

³³When the soldiers came to the place called "The Skull," they nailed Jesus to a cross. They also nailed the two criminals to crosses, one on each side of Jesus. ^34-35Jesus said, "Father, forgive these people! They don't know what they're doing." While the crowd stood there watching Jesus, the soldiers gambled for his clothes. The leaders insulted him by saying, "He saved others. Now he should save himself, if he really is God's chosen Messiah!"  (Luke 23: 33-34)

So the soldiers did these things, ²⁵ but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶ When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” ²⁷ Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home (John 19: 25-27)

Questions

1.    ‘Father, forgive them...’ Take a moment to think about the hardest thing you have had to forgive. The current Chief Rabbi calls forgiveness ‘life’s greatest adventure’. Do you think he is right?

2.    Think of a time when you have felt alone. When was that? How did you deal with at the time? How do you deal with it now?

3.    Which of the sayings of Jesus from the Cross means the most to you and why?

Reflection for Good Friday

Walkers silent, cross carried

Voices hushed with heads bowed

Interrupted by 6Music and seagulls call

I think it is something religious, one said

Songs sung, Christians together

Theology proclaimed

Readings given

No one listens to the clanging gong

Father forgive, we do not know what we are doing

Witness offered in a deserted place

Book is opened, piecemeal laughter

Grey skies, gentle rain

Millennium Cross, remembering better days

(c) Kevin Ellis