Although it is an option, I have never attended a Passion Sunday Mass at which the Passion was simply read. I have heard it sung but most of the time it is done in parts with a narrator leading the way. Of course, now I get to do the part of Jesus, but I spent most of life as “the crowd.” There was a part of me that look forward to shouting, “ Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” I looked forward to this simply because I thought it was good drama and, if I am honest, an opportunity to yell in church.

            As I have grown older, and I hope wiser, I have come to the realization that often enough in my life, by my words, by my actions, by inaction I have indeed been guilty of adding to the suffering of Jesus on the cross. As he hung upon the cross, Jesus, for however long was necessary, thought about me and my sins. For however long was necessary, Jesus suffered and paid the price for my sins, a price I would never have been able to afford on my own.  By his death on the cross, Jesus restored me to right relationship with God and opened for me the way to salvation.

            The good news is that every one of us can say the same thing. Jesus’s generosity on the cross is not limited to a few of his favorites, nor is it reserved for the best and brightest. Jesus himself tells us that he has come not for the well but has instead come to rescue and heal the wounded, the broken, the burdened, and the sinner. Hanging on the cross, in horrible pain, suffering, abused, and broken Jesus prays to the Father that his children be restored to their pre-fall dignity. On the cross Jesus prays that the gates of paradise be reopened.

Our reading of the passion, more than being great drama or an opportunity to yell in church is a recounting of the greatest moment in our lives. It is a recounting of the story of someone who loves us so much that he is willing to lay down his life so that each of us can live life to the fullest. The recounting of the passion of Jesus rather than being a moment of great sorrow is in fact a moment of great joy; thus, the reason for “Good” Friday.

Because of Jesus’s generosity, because of his willingness to pay our debt, we need do more than just recount his story. As people, who on the cross Jesus thought of by name, we need to live the gift of our redemption. This means that we heed Jesus’s call to follow him. It means that we do not shy away from taking up our cross or crosses daily. It means that we no longer see the cross, or suffering, or even death as something to fear but instead as stops on our way to sharing in the resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ.

In the end we needed to be saved and Jesus accomplished this on the cross and by escaping the clutches of the tomb. As we celebrate this Holy Week may we not simply go through the motions or simply enjoy the drama but instead, with gratitude and joy, proclaim the cross of Christ and the empty tomb as our reason to have hope, and our way to eternal life in paradise.