(Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 31(30); Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9; John 18:1-19:42)

Theme: His Crucifixion and Glory - A Foundation of Hope

Good Friday’s readings about Jesus Christ's passion and death remind us that in our darkest moments, God is present and active; He quietly turns our weaknesses and suffering into opportunities for His glory. Indeed, those who stay in Him are glorified.

This understanding of suffering is connected to the suffering of our Lord Jesus, foreshadowed in the pains of the Suffering Servant in the first reading from the Prophet Isaiah and recorded in the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The passion narratives of these Gospels testify to what the Lord does with a broken but willing heart: how He mends its brokenness, reshapes it for anointing, and cares for it, lifting it towards holiness.

This elevating essence of suffering was aptly described in John’s account of the Lord’s Passion and Death. After examining the accounts in the Synoptic Gospels, Evangelist John chose to emphasize less our Lord Jesus’ human expressions of abandonment and fear and more the purifying essence of His Passion, His triumph, and His glory upon the Cross.

In other words, John’s Good Friday account of the Lord’s passion and death highlights not only our Lord Jesus’ fears, feelings of abandonment, and suffering but also provides an inspiring narrative of life lessons from the true Lamb of God, whose blood cleansed our sins and fulfilled the Father's work for our redemption.

Therefore, we can conclude that those who seek the Lord’s merciful love will not be forgotten in times of trouble. For the One whose Cross became His glory – a visible reflection of His self-emptying love and a testament to His faithfulness – can transform our sufferings and life’s difficulties if, as the Psalmist says, we flee to, trust in Him and remain in His love.

For Evangelist John, the crucifixion and glorification of our Lord Jesus were one event in His life, revealed as He hung on the cross. Therefore, just as it happened for our Lord Jesus, healing and salvation would evolve through our sufferings if we remain in His love.

Thus, Good Friday reveals the power of the compassionate, true High Priest who never abandons those in His love during sickness, suffering, or trials. Therefore, anyone who calls on His name will not be denied His deliverance and comfort, whether in this life or the next. We must learn to believe and trust that the One who fulfilled the Father’s will, crucified and glorified on the throne of the Cross, will surely perfect our services, joy, success, and happiness. Let us remain in His love, for those days of pain will pass.

(Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14; Psalm 116(115); 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-15)

Theme: The Memorial Ritual of Salvation

Before laying down His life for us on Good Friday, our Lord Jesus had supper with His disciples; as St Paul noted in the second reading, during that supper, He instituted the Eucharist, which He asked us to do in remembrance, memory, or anamnesis of Him.

In other words, He provided us with a ritual for the New Passover meal that supplants the annual Jewish Passover celebration of the Lord's liberative act, as referenced in today’s first reading, which vividly recounts the suffering and liberation of the People of Israel from Egypt.

Through the Mass, we recall our Lord’s sacrifice on the cross, the establishment of the new Passover, His blessed Resurrection, ascension into heaven, and our purification and redemption. The Mass is an anamnesis, or memorial, of the once-and-for-all sacrifice by the Redeemer, who continues to share with those sincerely gathered to receive His cleansing and redeeming grace.

Indeed, the bread of blessing we consume and the wine in the cup of blessing we drink serve not only as a communion in the Lord’s salvific sacrifice but also as a participation in His banquet of love, which is brought to life within the hearts of those partaking in the Eucharistic celebration; we are not only called to embody its fruits of love and compassion but also to share this grace for the salvation of the world.

And so, the passion of our Lord Jesus is not repeated but commemorated. By it, we are inspired to renew our lives and remain open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. In other words, tonight's celebration reminds us that our past salvific stories and all Eucharistic celebrations today have become one; therefore, when we hear the phrase “body of Christ,” it is the Lord Himself offering His body and blood to us, for our purification and salvation.

A purification He demonstrated when He washed the feet of His disciples. By doing so, our Lord revealed that He intends not only to wash our feet on Good Friday but also to cleanse us from sin. In response, our task is to present ourselves to the Lord each day for purification; to partake with a pure heart in His banquet of love; and, before leaving this world, share with others the joy, happiness, success, security, and peace gained from the Lord’s Holy Mass of remembrance.

Isaiah 50:4-7; Psalm 22(21); Philippians 2:6-11; Matthew 26:14-27:66

Theme: The One and Only Passion of Our Redemption

This Sunday, we gather with our Lord Christ on the Mount of Olives. We recall His preparation before His joyful entry into Jerusalem, His betrayal by close friends for thirty pieces of silver, and His Passion, which led to His death on the cross.

This week, we unite in the Lord's name to culminate our Lenten observances by reflecting on the zenith of our salvation. Let us contemplate His meekness, humility, and simplicity amidst betrayal, aggression, blackmail, humiliation, revenge, and selfishness.

We will also observe His submission to the Father’s will in the Garden of Gethsemane, witness His companions betraying and denying Him, see Him questioned and suffering at the hands of His enemies, accompany Him as He carries our crosses and sorrows to Golgotha, and mourn with Him as He triumphs over death, transforming it into an open door to eternal life.

Thus, as Prophet Isaiah noted in his Song of the Suffering Servant in the first reading, our Lord Jesus was and remains the Suffering Servant, who listened to the Father, embraced the sacrifice of love for men and women, and demonstrated his determination to lift us out of our earthly nature and transform it into a suitable nature of immortality.

In the words of Saint Paul in the second reading, although He possessed the capacity to transform us from heaven, He chose to embrace the shame of human nature so that we would not be shamed. This Sunday, we must confess that the Lord is not only the Blessed One, our Eternal Saviour, and the Exemplum of God’s obedient love and exalted glory, but also our Lord, in whom we trust to deliver us in times of temptation, protect us against those who seek our downfall, grant us the strength to remake ourselves, and empower us with wisdom to stand firm in the face of adversities.

Finally, this week, we are reminded that our failures, compromises, or indifference have not erased His Love for us. He says, "I call you friends."

And so, He invites us not to retreat in despair but to worship sincerely with our hearts, to open our minds to His words, and to surrender our whole beings to His transformative grace.

Today, we have honoured His Blessed Name with palm branches; tomorrow, He awaits hearts that are repentant, forgiving, and prayerful—yours and mine—open to the glory of His resurrection.