Good Friday

The Good Friday liturgy finds its connection to human suffering and the doctrine of redemption in the adoration of the cross, and in order to fully understand the significance of this liturgical practice, one has to have a concrete understanding of the theology of the cross. 

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In The Father’s Will: Christ’s Crucifixion and the Goodness of God, Fr. Nicholas Lombardo argues that modern believers have lost the notion that Christ’s Passion and Death was a “ransom” for the sins of humanity. Fr. Lombardo states that seeing the Paschal Mystery through the lens of a ransom allows for an understanding of “by allowing himself to be crucified, Christ offered a ransom, and this ransom liberated humanity from the devil and the powers of sin and death.”  The word ransom, which comes from the Latin word, redemptio, provides the opportunity for there to be a distinction made between redemption and salvation, as “we can say that our redemption was achieved once and for all by Christ through his cross, but our salvation comes by being joined to the resurrected Christ through the Holy Spirit and the sacraments.”  Although the word ransom does not entirely encompass the theology of the Paschal Mystery, it does provide insight into the role of the cross in the doctrine of redemption. In Christ offering himself as the ransom, humanity is redeemed from its sinful state. In bearing the sins of humanity on the cross, Jesus opened up the pathway to salvation because he has redeemed the world. Notably, Fr. Lombardo states that humanity is redeemed through Christ’s cross and comes to salvation through being joined to the resurrected Christ. The resurrected Christ, who still has the wounds of the crucifixion, is the One to whom humanity must cling to in order to find salvation. But in order to be one with Christ, humanity has to suffer with Christ, which is a harder reality for believers to acknowledge and accept.  

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The sin and evil which have permeated the world since the Fall continue to distort humanity’s view of God. Jesus, as the Son of God, fully God and fully man, knew that humanity’s redemption would only come through His Suffering, Death, and Resurrection. This supreme act of obedient love brings light into the darkness and reconciles the world to God. Through the Incarnation and the Paschal Mystery, God reveals His infinite mercy and goodness towards humanity, as He offers His only begotten Son for the redemption of the world. God bestows this gift to His beloved creation, knowing that there must be reparations for the ways in which humanity has sinned against Him. Instead of forcing humanity to bear the full weight of their sinfulness, God Himself takes on the burden and brings about reconciliation and redemption. Sin, which is a powerful force of injustice, has to be restored by the justice of God’s love. This love is what is commemorated during each Good Friday service, especially during the veneration of the cross, as this is where suffering and redemption met in Jesus’ Passion and Death.

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In the veneration of the cross, the Passion of Jesus becomes a tangible reality. No longer is it simply a story we read during Mass, as the cross stands tall in the Church, imposing above the congregation, and is a physical reminder of the pain and suffering endured by the Savior of the World. While venerating the cross, believers acknowledge that the cross is not just an instrument of torture, but the path to salvation. It is not merely a symbol of death, but rather of transformation. Venerating the cross allows for the recognition of the fact that human suffering, though heartbreaking and utterly destroying at times, is nothing compared to what Christ went through during his Passion. It is a solemn reminder that humanity’s liberation from sin was purchased with a cost, and that cost was the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ. 

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Throughout his earthly ministry, Jesus was constantly giving of Himself to others in teaching, performing miracles, or by healing people’s hearts from the wounds of sin. In dying on the cross for humanity, Jesus gives all of Himself for others. The invitation to believers then is to walk the same path as Jesus, offering every aspect of their life as a gift of self, even when it is painful or includes suffering. This is a stark reality, one that is often difficult for believers to accept. No one wants to suffer, and no one walks towards suffering willingly. However, in order to find redemption from the powers of sin and death, the Christian has to come to the cross. It is at the cross that human suffering finds meaning as it is united with Christ’s suffering and leads to eternal life.

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Venerating the cross on Good Friday is a solemn reminder that humanity’s redemption came with a cost, and although humanity is now saved from the powers of sin and death, all believers must bear their own crosses as they journey to eternal life with God. 

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