Homily given by Bishop Anthony Randazzo
Bishop of Broken Bay
Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral
Friday of the Passion of the Lord - 10 April 2020
The holy Eucharist is the source and summit of the Church’s life (cf. lumen gentium 11). For in it is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Paschal lamb. (cf. Presbyterorum ordinis 5)
As we follow the Way of the Cross today, we encounter first-hand the sacrifice that lies at the centre of the Eucharistic life of the Church.
The Way of the Cross begins in the Upper Room on Holy Thursday. There, Jesus reveals to us the mystery of His Body and Blood. It is the sacrament of life, that prefigures the mystery of His death on the Cross.
The Way of the Cross is a journey. For Jesus, it takes him across the Kedron Valley into the garden. He is accompanied by his closest friends. And there, innocent though he was, he was betrayed, man-handled, seized, and bound.
While some of his friends defended him, others stood silently. Betrayal and disappointment are constant companions on the Way of the Cross. While Jesus is taken away, two of his disciples follow. He is not alone on the Way. He leads the Way.
By the warmth of the fire, one disciple stands alone and denies Jesus. Betrayal, disappointment, and denial are disloyal companions on the Way. Religious and civic leaders interrogate Jesus, looking for something to conceal their dishonesty, as-well-as to justify the obvious travesty of justice that is inflicted upon him. There is no justice without truth.
On the Way, Jesus is bullied, jeered at, slapped, ridiculed, and belittled. He is scourged, crowned with thorns, and crucified.
The words of the Prophet Isaiah are a sober reminder for us why Jesus suffered so. “Ours were the sufferings he bore, ours the sorrows he carried.” (cf. Is 53:4) It was because of our spiritual and moral darkness that He suffered. That darkness still exists. While there are poor people in need or living homelessly on our streets – there is darkness. While there is domestic violence, child abuse, racism, religious discrimination, and hatred – there is darkness. While innocent children are aborted from their mother’s womb, and while infirm or aged men and women are euthanized – there is darkness.
Jesus was “pierced through for our faults, crushed for our sins… and through his wounds we are healed.” (Is 53:5)
My sisters and brothers, the Passion of Christ saves us from the darkness of sin. One does not need to journey far to encounter the darkness, and yet neither do we need look far to see the light.
We have begun to walk the Way of the Cross with Jesus. As we contemplate the mystery of Christ crucified, we bring to Him all our prayers, our hopes and our fears. Our sufferings are united with His and through His blood, shed for us on the Cross; we are restored to new life.
Today we place at the foot of the Cross our families and communities.
Our civic leaders and our State of New South Wales. Our country Australia in its time of need. Our Church and our world.
We adore your Cross, O Lord,
we praise and glorify your holy resurrection,
for behold, because of the wood of a tree,
joy has come to the whole world.