By his wounds we are healed

Good Friday

Today we have listened in reverent silence to the account of the suffering and dying of our Lord Jesus Christ, described by St John who himself was there standing at the foot of the cross.

In our liturgy this afternoon we will behold him lifeless upon the cross as we approach a crucifix to offer our veneration.

Though over two millennia have passed since the events that we recall today, they are as real to us now as they were to those who witnessed them occurring. We re-live what Jesus endured.

As we listened the Gospel account of what happened on that first Good Friday, our hearts are moved and touched. We are aware not only on the intense sufferings endured by Jesus but we note his demeanour.

The Prophet Isaiah describes it so poignantly in the first reading: “Harshly dealt with, he bore it humbly, he never opened his mouth”.

Jesus bore the insults and the pain in humility and silence. Isaiah uses an image now so full of meaning for Christians.

He says: “Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter-house, like a sheep that is dumb before its shearers, never opening its mouth”.

Jesus is the lamb of God, who John the Baptist declares, “takes away the sins of the world”.

This image of Jesus as lamb is captured in the mosaic now adorning the new altar in this cathedral. The lamb is a lamb of sacrifice.

What transpired at Calvary has profound significance for each of us. In Jesus dying and passing from this life we have a mystery that relates directly to our lives and to our ultimate destiny.

My brothers and sisters, today on this Good Friday, as we stand before the cross of Christ, let us also stand amidst the suffering and sinful humanity around us.

Let us, each of us, firstly stand with a deep awareness of our own burden of weakness and sin. When we look honestly into our hearts, we see, yes, goodness there and a desire to pursue what is good and true and just.

But we know, too, the reality of our spiritual poverty, of our lack of generosity, of our inability to show mercy and love as we should.

When we look honestly into our hearts we are conscious of the many times that we have been selfish, indulgent, unkind, unforgiving.

We are aware we have, so often, surrendered to temptations and have not done what is right. We know that our lives are deeply marred by sin. We are far from the person we should be.

So, we know that each of us stand in need of forgiveness. We need to be saved from our sinful selves. We stand in need of redemption. And our sins need to be atoned for.

Then, let us look out at situation of humanity. Let us take a moment to acknowledge the immense suffering that touches the lives of so many.

We think of those suffering from malnutrition, those caught up in war, those exposed to natural disasters, like bushfire, flood, drought, cyclones.

Let us hold in our hearts those who have suffered sexual abuse or domestic violence, or are trapped in addictions to alcohol, drugs, gambling, pornography.

Let us remember those burdened by a disability, physical, emotional or mental. We recall the sick, those battling disease and those daily enduring physical pain.

Let us for a moment gaze out on the suffering encountered by so many of our fellow human beings. So many struggle daily just to survive.

For so many people life is living in a vale of tears. Humanity suffers, as does each of us in a great or small way.

On this Good Friday we are aware that all of this was embraced by Jesus as he carried his cross to Calvary.

St John, earlier in his Gospel, understood this when he records that God has so loved the world that he sent his only Son not to condemn the world but so that through him the world would be saved.

This is what we commemorate today as we stand before our Crucified Lord.

God has sent his son, not to condemn which deserves condemnation, but to save, to heal, to restore, to redeem.

The Prophet Isaiah expressed it with simplicity and clarity: “Yet ours were the sufferings he bore, ours the sorrows he carried”.

Jesus took upon the whole weight of human sin and suffering. This was the definitive act whereby the human race was redeemed and its sin atoned for. Such is the mercy in the heart of God for humanity.

Once again, the Prophet expresses it: “Yet he was pierced through for our faults, crushed for our sins”. Adding: “On him lies a punishment that brings us peace and through his wounds we are healed”.

Let us ponder these words, “And through his wounds we are healed”.

In a short time, we will approach the crucifix to offer our own act of veneration. We approach the figure of Jesus with the wounds in his hands, feet and side.

Let us carry these words in our hearts as we approach our crucified Lord: “By his wounds we are healed”.

Archbishop Julian Porteous

Friday, 7 April 2023