Good Friday Reflections

In the Jewish tradition the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur are called the Days of Awe. It is believed that God opens the Book of Life on Rosh Hashanah and writes into it the fate of every person and then He waits until Yom Kippur to close the book and seal the verdict. The Days of Awe are also called the Days of Repentance. During these 10 days, the Jews amend their behaviour and seek forgiveness for the wrongs they have done, against God and against other people. Yom Kippur is the day when Jews confess and petition God for forgiveness. It is the Day of Atonement. At-one-ment. At the end of Yom Kippur one is absolved by God and is reconciled (at one) with Him.

In our Christian tradition we have the lenten season in which we are all encouraged to repent and change our ways, seek forgiveness and make amends. It is fitting that the lenten season ends on Easter Sunday, the time when the celebration of the Risen Lord reminds us of our one-ness in Him. Oneness in the sense of being members of one body, the Church, whose Head is the Risen Lord. Yet this oneness takes on more meaning when we have also atoned and have become reconciled and become one with Him. The essence of Christianity is the fact that Christ not only lives to head the Church but also lives within each of us.

The days of lent are days of repentance and, because of this, they are also days of forgiveness. These are days of introspection and honest assessments of one's behaviour. We face up to the personal burden of wrongs that we carry and seek ways to make amends. It takes courage for no one wants to convict himself by accepting blame. It is always easier to explain the offenses we made and make excuses. Yet this is what we are tasked to do throughout Lent, accompanied by fasting. Lent is, in a sense, a journey through our own personal desert where we perceive the harshness of our lives beyond the comforts we daily enjoy. It is a journey where we can see how desolate our hearts can be and how much we need to heal the desolation. Even as Moses struck the stone and water flowed in the desert, so, too, can the River of Life flow in our hearts and heal the desolation through forgiveness and reconciliation. In the desert, everything falls away and nothing else matters - there is only us and God.

Today is Good Friday. It is a good day to contemplate what my Lord went through to pay the debts that I owe. It is a good day to remember that through His sacrifice God reached out to me in forgiveness. Just like the thief on the cross I can be forgiven and living waters will flow into my desert. Today, my Lord's sacrifice reminds me that, though the events we commemorate were horrifying and tragic, it is also the day when our debts were paid. It is the day when we were released from bondage. The battle is over and the Lord has won. Beyond the tragedy, there is now hope and a reason for joy.

As King David wrote in Psalm:118:24: This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. It is Good Friday and it is the day that the Lord has made. I rejoice. My desert will bloom.