Good Friday Is 52:13-53:12 Ps 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-16, 17, 25 Heb 4:14-16; 5:7-9 Jn 18:1-19:42

Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer Praying Lent The Daily Reflections

“Because of his affliction, he shall see the light in fullness of days; through his suffering, my servant shall justify many” -Isaiah 53:11

When my dad comes home from business trips in underdeveloped countries, he often shares stories with my siblings and I of what he sees and encounters to remind us to keep things in perspective. The first reading today, from the book of Isaiah, talks about how people would be amazed at Jesus’ second coming, as they would not recognize him because “so marred was his look beyond human semblance, and his appearance beyond that of the sons of man, so shall he startle many nations” (Is: 52: 14-15). The passage made me think of my dad’s stories of wide-eyed children with no shoes, old women begging for food, and stenches of garbage drifting through villages. In order to recognize Jesus when he comes again, I think it is important to see him not only on the cross but also in the suffering throughout our world. By acknowledging this presence and putting our faith in the Lord, we can truly appreciate the meaning of Good Friday and Jesus’ death on the cross. As we recognize Christ’s suffering for our sins, we can also look forward to the new life and the hope for a better tomorrow that he brings to us in the Easter season.