Good Friday was day the battle was won

Published: March 30, 2018

"He was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins; upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed. We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; but the LORD laid upon him the guilt of us all." — Isaiah 53:5-6

On Good Friday, we fast, abstain and relive Jesus' suffering and death so we never forget God's unconditional love and desire for us to be saved. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life." (John 3:16) This is the only day of the year we do not celebrate Mass. This sober service includes the Liturgy of the Word, general intercessions, veneration of the cross and reception of the Eucharist. This year it is March 30. Visit Arkansas Catholic to find a Good Friday service in your area.

As we enter into Christ's passion and death, the day's first reading offers a powerful reflection: "Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth; like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers, he was silent and opened not his mouth. Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away, and who would have thought any more of his destiny? When he was cut off from the land of the living, and smitten for the sin of his people, a grave was assigned him among the wicked and a burial place with evildoers, though he had done no wrong nor spoken any falsehood. But the LORD was pleased to crush him in infirmity." (Isaiah 53: 7-10)

Yet, the day is called Good Friday. Bishop Anthony B. Taylor explains why in his 2016 homily. "Evil did its very worst but he did his very best and his goodness prevailed, turning the worst Friday ever into the best Friday ever. (It was) the day the battle was won; the day the power of sin and death was broken." 

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "the Christian meaning of death is revealed in the light of the Paschal Mystery of the death and resurrection of Christ in whom resides our only hope." (no. 1681)

Many parishes offer the stations of the cross on Good Friday. Some perform a live reenactment of Jesus' passion and death. Visit Arkansas Catholic's website to find a schedule of these events. If unable to attend in person, you are welcome to take part in this devotion online.

We offer the Via Dolorosa (Way of the Cross) in Jerusalem, which offers reflections from Pope Francis and photos of the stations in Jerusalem; and the Way of the Cross: Stations and Meditations from Arkansas, which include video reflections from Arkansans and illustrations from both indoor and outdoor stations at churches and monasteries throughout the state. You may also reflect on the "Stabat Mater" (the "Mother was Standing"), a 13th-century Catholic hymn about Mary's pain at the foot of her Son's cross.

In addition, the Holy Father is asking Catholics worldwide to give to the Pontifical Good Friday Collection. These donations help preserve the holy shrines for pilgrims and support the pastoral, charitable, educational and social works of Christians in the Holy Land.