Good Friday Ecumenical Service
The Reflections and Prayers shared here were written by Sr. Rosemarie Greco, DW who was invited to lead Good Friday services at a Lutheran and Methodist Church in Torrington, Connecticut.
Seven Last words of Jesus
Sr. Rosemarie Greco, DW
Scripture:
When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified Jesus with the criminals, one on his right, one on his left. Then Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.
(Luke 23:34)
Reflection:
How often do we, through fear or anger, do things that we regret? At the time, we do not fully understand what we are doing.
Jesus sees more than the cruel actions of his killers.
He sees the unbridled violent actions that come from fear - fear of losing power and privilege – fear of losing being the ruling class.
They must kill the opposition to survive and maintain their power.
Jesus is the symbol of change, a change that means following God into a new future. In his brief ministry, he was on fire with the love of God. He proclaimed freedom: freedom for enslaved people, for exiles far from their homes, even for the desert that springs would flow there, that justice and mercy would reign, and all creation would flourish. These were not the ways of Caesar’s empire.
Jesus, on the Cross, sees into the souls of people.
Dying on the Cross, he looks at the jeering crowd, not with anger or hate but with sympathy and compassion.
He says only: Father, forgive them. And we say, Father, forgive us.
From the Cross, Jesus sees the crowd yelling and screaming about racial injustice in so many communities. He knows what it was like when people said of him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” He has experienced ethnic injustice and is dying for all of us who are enduring the same.
Jesus says to this: Father, forgive them. And we say, Father, forgive us.
From the Cross, Jesus dies knowing he tried to usher in the reign of God and a new Covenant. He opened a new door to God that everyone can enter. He hoped to bring new and evolving attitudes among peoples – attitudes like “Blessed are the poor, Blessed are those who mourn, Blessed are the meek, the peacemakers, those hungering for justice. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Not all accepted this. He challenged the power and authority of his time. Enraged leaders were determined to put an end to his ideas and spirituality.
Jesus says to this: Father, forgive them; And we say, Father forgive us.
From the Cross today, Jesus sees our exertion of power and control over God’s creation. How many environmental groups are met with violence and conflict as they dedicate themselves to care for creation? The mystics know that the Earth is the Body of God. Are we, today, continuing to crucify Earth, the Body of God, through our actions and greed?
Jesus still says, Father forgive them. And we beg, Father forgive us.
Silent prayer…….
Prayer:
Father, forgive us for our sinful actions and for our inaction to bring about your reign of peace and justice in our world – in your world. Be with us always; forgive our trespasses and strengthen us to forgive those who have dealt hurt and anguish toward us. Our trust is in you.
Hear our prayer. Amen
Into your hands I commend my spirit
Sr. Rosemarie Greco, DW
The sun's light failed and the curtain of the Temple was torn in two. Then Jesus crying out in a loud voice said, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit. (After saying that, he breathed his last.) Luke 23: 45-46.
I think it is safe to say that we have entrusted something or someone to another person at some time in our lives. For many of us, the first time we entrusted a young child to a caretaker or a school teacher, it called for a supreme act of faith, hope and trust.
For some, handing over a precious object to another for safekeeping is another act of trusting. Even communicating a secret of our heart, a secret of our life, is to entrust the experience to a special person. We entrust so many aspects of our lives to others. When we do, we hope for a respectful, loving embrace of what we hold dear and have shared.
To commend is to confide, hand over, deliver and entrust.
In this last word of Jesus, "Into your hands I commend my spirit," the Gospel writer Luke, has painted a graphic picture for us. The sun has grown dark, the Temple curtain was ripped apart. Even the earth trembled. We can feel all of creation aching and crying out in unison with Jesus. I am sure everyone in the crowd at the crucifixion, was tense and somewhat frightened. We know how we feel when there is a storm and power goes out. It can be fearful.
After hours of torture and anguish, hanging exhausted on the cross, Jesus can still see the mob watching him. But what must add even more to his pain, is seeing his mother Mary among the people. She has been present all along the way to Calvary but unable to change the course of events. It is Mary, his mother, who instilled in Jesus the qualities, virtues, and commitment to God. This mother's deep trust and faith in God took root in Jesus. Mary nourished Jesus in body and spirit. God entrusted his Son to Mary. Jesus now entrusts his life and spirit back to the Father. He lets go of everything. Even at the moment of death, when he can do nothing anymore, he commends his spirit into God's hands, just as he did all his life.
It has been said that "to die crucified does not mean simply to die," but it also is to be put to death, to suffer a death inflicted by unjust structures, laws, and behaviors. So many people today, who are the Body of Christ in our world, are afflicted and dying. They are victims of war, economic greed, and ecological disaster. They are those who suffer institutional violence, domestic violence, rape, and bullying.
They are the Body of Christ today suffering persecution of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, migrant status, mental and physical illness, and the grief of bereavement. Jesus' death by crucifixion places him in solidarity with this desolation. Even in our bleakest moments, God is with us.* God is with Jesus as he says, "Into your hands, I commend my spirit."
Silent Prayer
Closing prayer: Psalm 31
In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge;
Let me never be put to shame,
Turn your ear to me,
Come quickly to my rescue;
Be my rock of refuge, a stronghold to save me….
Keep me free from the trap they set for me, for you are my refuge.
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
Deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.
Hear our prayer. Amen.
*Resource: Elizabeth Johnson, Creation and the Cross: The Mercy of God for a Planet in Peril, Orbis Books, Maryknoll, NY, pp 107-108.
4/ 2022