The emotional heaviness of the Good Friday liturgy draws us into the darkness of that day. From the suffering servant reading from Isaiah (52:13-53:12) to the passion reading from the gospel of John, we are immersed in images of betrayal, abandonment and suffering. We stand and kneel, and stand and kneel again as we pray for all God`s people. We solemnly process forward to venerate the cross. We enter in silence, and we leave in silence.
Good Friday is a difficult day to explain to wee ones. What`s good about it? When is it going to be over? It is still difficult to understand as an adult. Yet, we know that Good Friday is part of all of our lives. From global tragedies to personal struggles and losses, suffering is all around us. It cannot be avoided. It must be lived through.
As Christians, we proudly wear and display the cross. It is the deepest of ironies that a torture instrument and means of execution has become a symbol of faith. (Imagine wearing a guillotine or gallows around your neck.) Yet, out of the darkness comes the hope of Easter joys. The cross is transformed from a sign of death to the glories and promises of new life.
Perhaps Good Friday is not meant to be understood. It is meant to be experienced.