Good Friday - Accomplishing the Final Act with Love

Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion: April 03, 2026

Readings: Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Hebrews 4:14-16,5:7-9; John 18:1-19:42

Crucifixion of Jesus

To listen to my audio-video reflections via YouTube, please click here: https://youtu.be/eha_1oDKM5c

What a day! And it is called Good Friday!! The death of God-man on the Cross, and still we call this day Good Friday!!! The poignant moment of the death of the Messiah makes us stand still and listen to the inner voice of our being. What is this all about? Why must an innocent man die on a Cross? The most brutal, terribly painful and awkwardly humiliating death a person could go through in the Roman Empire was crucifixion.  It was such a heinous death that no one dared to undergo. But here we have on this day, we commemorate that brutal death of our Saviour and Master year after year. The same death, the same event, the same humiliating expressions, and yet we try to find meaning for our lives through devotion and faith. 

1. Pushing the evil away and not reconciling

As we stand at the foot of the Cross of our Saviour and kiss it with a sense of reverence, it brings to our mind the stark reality of evil, wickedness, jealousy, envy, animosity, grudges, scorn, and hostility in this world and in the lives of people. As we scroll through the Word of God in the Holy Bible, it becomes certain that evil can take over good and has a say for some time. Perhaps, evil might not win continuously or eternally, but it has its say that could be detrimental to the life of the person.  The Word of God tells us emphatically that Jesus "went on doing good." Then what went wrong in the life of Jesus to carry the Cross to Calvary?

Good Friday stands before us in solemn silence, inviting us not merely to observe, but to enter into the mystery of a love that suffers, endures, and redeems. The readings draw us into the depths of this mystery—not as distant spectators, but as those whose lives are intimately bound to the Cross. The prophet Isaiah presents the figure of the Suffering Servant—one who is “despised and rejected,” a man of sorrows, bearing pain not his own.  His innocence, his wounds, and his pathetic condition are all for our salvation. It is a meaningful source of healing and restoration for humanity. It finds expression in divine mercy. 

2. Jesus, a bridge between humanity and God

The Letter to the Hebrews deepens this understanding by showing us Christ not only as the victim, but as the High Priest—one who enters fully into the human condition. He does not stand apart from our struggles; He knows them from within. He has cried out in anguish, wrestled with suffering, and learned obedience through what He endured. And so, He becomes the bridge between humanity and God, inviting us to approach the throne of grace with confidence, even in our weakness. Good Friday reminds us that no suffering of ours is foreign to Him.

God continues to look down upon humanity through the person of Jesus. His gaze from the Cross at the wretchedness of humanity points to us that there is a lot to be accomplished for humanity. Not everything is perfect and holy, peaceful and redeemed. It needs mercy and compassion, reconciliation and forgiveness. It is a way of communicating the desire of God to humanity in this complex and barbaric act of crucifixion. It is accomplished when it touches every heart of the person who stands beneath the cross. 

3. God's Plan has a Purpose and Freedom

In the Passion according to the Gospel writer St John, we encounter a striking portrayal of Jesus—one who is not overpowered by events, but who freely gives Himself. Even in His arrest, His trial, and His crucifixion, there is a quiet authority. He carries the Cross not as a victim of fate, but as one who embraces His mission in love. From the garden to Golgotha, every step is a deliberate act of self-giving. Good Friday confronts us with a question that is both simple and demanding: how do we respond to such love?

The Cross, then, is not merely an instrument of death; it is the fullest revelation of love. Here, love is stripped of all sentimentality. It is faithful in betrayal, silent before accusation, forgiving in the face of cruelty. “It is finished,” Jesus declares—not as a cry of defeat, but as the completion of a love that has held nothing back. It is easy to venerate the Cross from a distance, but harder to carry it in our own lives. The invitation is not only to gaze upon Christ crucified, but to recognize Him in the suffering around us—in the wounded, the rejected, the forgotten—and to respond with compassion.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, as we stand before Your Cross, we behold the depth of Your love poured out for us. In Your suffering, teach us to trust; in Your silence, teach us to surrender; and in Your self-giving, teach us to love without reserve. Stay with us in our weakness, and shape our lives into an offering united with Yours. We make this prayer in Jesus' Holy Name, Amen.

- Fr Olvin Veigas, SJ

E-mail: olvinveigas@jesuits.net

Blog: Celebrate Faith

Video: YouTube

31 March 2026