Sermon by Father Alex McAllister SDS                   Index

Good Friday—2003 Homily

We have gathered here in this Church today to solemnly commemorate the Passion and Death of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

We walk with him on the Way of the Cross and, in our hearts, we accompany him on that day which is of such significance in the history of the world. We do so in all humility, for we recognise that he has done for us that which we could not do for ourselves, namely to win for us the definitive victory over sin and death.

The sinless one is accused of blasphemy and condemned falsely. The fountain of all healing is scourged and beaten. He who personified goodness is forced to carry the means of his own execution up the stony path to the Hill of Calvary. The innocent one bears the derision of the onlookers. The Son of God is cruelly nailed to the wood of the Cross.

And yet through all this our Saviour utters not a word in protest. He bears his sufferings nobly. Yes, he asks the Father for release but then humbly submits to his will. Even in his last agony on the Cross he does not forget why he came and to the criminal hanging there beside him he promises eternal life.

That those implicated in this crime of crimes could be so stupid and blind to what they were doing appals us. And yet we know that we too have at various times in our lives also rejected Christ. Like Peter we have denied him countless times. We frequently have to take pause and beg pardon for the times we have deliberately chosen evil over good.

So the events of that dark day are not so distant from us. We are not uninvolved. We are not free from responsibility. We have also jeered. We have also applauded similar circumstances. We have also twisted the knife in the back of our rivals.

But now we repent of these things and repudiate them entirely. And our very presence here today is our way of showing which side of the fence we are on.

We are on the side of truth and goodness and right. We are in solidarity with the weak, the imprisoned and the persecuted.

Today we walk with Christ, today we identify with him in his suffering, today we fast and we pray.

We adore you O Christ and we praise you because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.