Inspiring Good Friday message from Fr. John Dear
"FATHER FORGIVE THEM FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO." (Luke 23:34)
Throughout his humiliation, torture and public execution, Jesus never yells, shows anger, threatens anyone, condemns anyone or says a word of violence, vengeance or retaliation. He enters into universal compassion for the entire human race, in perfect solidarity with everyone who suffers and dies throughout history, and so explodes into universal love.
(snip)
"AMEN, I SAY TO YOU, TODAY YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE." (Luke 23:43)
Even as he dies, Jesus ministers to the poor, the condemned and the dying. He promises he will be in paradise with him. Perhaps both will join him in paradise. As followers of Jesus, we too are invited to side with those in resistance to empire, to show compassion to the poor, the condemned and the marginalized -- and of course, to work for the abolition of the death penalty.
Today in paradise? Sometimes I wonder if Luke infers that being next to Jesus, even in this Good Friday agony, near his perfect nonviolence, means they are already in paradise, even as they die. If we too side with the condemned, the suffering and the dying, we too are already with Christ in paradise.
(snip)
THE LOUD CRY
This Good Friday, I invite us to hear the loud cry of the crucified, nonviolent Jesus. Where do we hear it? I hear it in the cry of the poor and oppressed throughout history and throughout the world today; in the victims of all wars, injustices and empires; in the dead of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, from Auschwitz and Dresden to Vietnam and Central America, Iraq and Afghanistan, Libya and Syria. In that loud cry, I hear Jesus begging humanity to wake up, reject the insanity of violence, become nonviolent, and turn with compassion toward others and welcome God's reign of peace.
This Good Friday, as we hear his last words and his loud cry, we let our hearts be broken and disarmed, and surrender to the God of peace all over again.
http://ncronline.org/blogs/road-peace/jesus-last-words-provide-nonviolent-inspiration-good-friday
I think this is one of Fr. Dear's most inspiring posts. I've printed it out to take home and read over the next couple of days. This is about the living Christ, among us today.