GOOD FRIDAY AT SAINT PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL

GOOD FRIDAY AT SAINT PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL

Jesus the Christ taught many lessons in his brief public life but none were more powerful than those he taught in his death.
To lead us in a series of considerations on this perennial theme, no modern guide is better qualified than Fr. Benedict Groeschel. Preaching in New York at the traditional 3-hour Good Friday service in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, he illustrates how very modern and relevant the Lord’s words from the cross will always remain.
Father points out that we are dealing always with God, not just a noble human being. Only God can forgive sin but we also must forgive especially because most people do not really know what they are doing when they offend God and us. Moreover each one of us is utterly important to God, even a small-time criminal now known as the Good Thief [Dismas].
All of us have desperate moments in which we feel totally abandoned by God. Jesus endured this darkness and cried out to his Father so as to be a support to us in our suffering. But his real thirst was for our souls. And we, what do we thirst for: money? comfort? popularity at all costs? The great mystery of Calvary is that Evil is allowed such power, but Evil will never triumph. When Jesus Christ cries: “It is finished!” he meant that his human life had come to an end but that His eternal life was beginning. Are we ready to die? Fr. Groeschel, accompanied by prayer and by the inspired singing of the Cathedral’s choir has given us ideal meditations for Lent but also for our times of stress, loss and betrayal. The Lord experienced all these more than we do and He continues to say to us: “Come to me... and I will refresh you.”