Good Friday

"...but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Gentiles." ~ I Corinthians 1:23

Today is Good Friday, one of the high holy days of the Christian faith. The foundation of Christianity is not based solely on the long awaited revealing of the Messiah, fulfilling prophecies of a great prophet, the ultimate high priest, and eternal king of mankind, but on His sacrifice as literal fulfillment of the Passover Lamb of God, slain for the sins of the world.

He came into the world humbly, not as a nobleman, tycoon or royalty, and claimed that by understanding him we would understand what God was like.

There is little I can add to the historical record that has not already been, but on a human level put yourself in the place of his mother who had to watch her son’s ordeal, especially knowing the injustice of it all. And one of his best friends, John the disciple, also standing there, confused about everything he believed up until that moment on a lonely hill. And Peter, who only the day before had his feet washed by his master, who before the night had passed denied thrice any knowledge of his relationship with the Christ whom he loved. And the other followers who feared for their lives and fled, who went into hiding lest they too end up nailed to crossed on those isolated hills...

Hard to believe these were those who took the seeds of light that had been sown into their hearts and utterly transformed the future history of the world.

The following is a hymn written nine hundred years ago by Bernard of Clairveaux, to mark this day.