Why is good Friday Good? When man was at his worst, God was at His best.
If you have one minute to live and one call to make, who would you call and what would you say? This is a question I often pose to young people and the answers are always the same: “I’ll call my mother, my parents or a loved one.” What would they say? The reply is text book, “I am sorry, I love you, forgive me.” So why not say it now? Why wait for that ‘tragic end’?
Words are so powerful; they have the power to build or break. A child’s first words may be garbled gibberish but we still hear in them a mama or a dada. The words of the liturgy may sound solemn, but we still hear the loving voice of our Saviour. And then there are those words that break us; “I wish you were never born,” “you make me sick” or “I hate you.”
Today, on Good Friday we hear the words of a dying man. His words are true and full of openness. These are ‘His last Words’; yet filled with love, not hate. He preaches not once, but seven times for these are the seven last ‘words’ and yet more than words. The first three are about Him; the last four are about others. His pulpit is His cross. There is no microphone and so at times He cries out in a loud voice, “Father into your hands I commend my spirit.”
Fr. Warner D'Souza is a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Bombay. He has served in the parishes of St Michael's (Mahim), St Paul's (Dadar East), Our Lady of Mount Carmel, (Bandra), a ten year stint as priest-in-charge at St Jude Church (Malad East) and at present is the Parish Priest at St Stephen's Church (Cumballa Hill). He is also the Director of the Archdiocesan Heritage Museum and is the co-ordinator of the Committee for the Promotion and Preservation of the Artistic and Historic Patrimony of the Church.
Very true…. a Christian can never say that no one loves me. An insightful reflection!!
Nice Message Father 🙏
Love one Another.
Praise the Lord.
What reply can anyone post. Beautiful simply beautiful and humbling. “When Man was at his worst, God was at His Best” “I did it for You, I did it all for you” . His words still ring true today. Have Mercy on us Lord for we still do not know what we do. Perhaps we will never know. If we did we would have been transformed. My prayer is that some day we may be transformed. Amen
A Christian can never say ‘nobody loves me’! How Beautiful…soo verry true!…..and yet we need to be reminded of this truth time and again, that someone loved us soo much, that he went to the extent of giving his life for us….
Verry thoughtful reflection Fr.