“Do not let hope die! Stake your
lives on it. We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures, we are the sum
of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of His
Son.”
Do not let hope die. These words of St. John Paul II are the
trumpet call to our hearts in the midst of Good Friday to remember the truth of
the event of the Cross that we have entered into this afternoon.
Love and sweetness itself was
mocked and cursed.
He Who hung the earth on the
waters is hung on a Tree.
The King of Angels is crowned
with piercing thorns.
He Who wrapped the Heavens in
clouds is wrapped in the cloak of mockery.
He Who freed Adam from sin is
bound in chains.
The Bridegroom of the Church is
fixed to the Cross with nails.
To the eyes of the world, the
crucifixion of Jesus Christ is foolishness, a stumbling block for belief, the
unfortunate end of a promising leader. But to those with the eyes of faith:
Christ, the power of God and the Wisdom of God. The Wisdom of God! Who among us
would consider this wisdom? And yet it is.
The Cross is our only hope because
in it we see the truth that Christ is stronger than everything, even death
itself. The victory of Jesus on the Cross means that there is absolutely
nothing that cannot be conquered by Christ is we let Him in. Nothing. The
hardest of hearts are as butter pierced by a warm knife. The darkest of souls
becomes radiant with Divine Grace.
St. Leo the Great reminds us of
this reality as he writes, “No one, however weak, is denied a share in the
victory of the Cross. No one is beyond the help of the prayer of Christ. His
prayer brought benefit to the multitude that raged against Him. How much more
does it bring to whose who turn to Him in repentance.”
“Do you realize what I have done
for you?”
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