Good Friday
R. Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
Written by Emilie Berard
It is Good Friday, and the Responsorial Psalm is “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”
Upon reflecting on this sentence, it feels heavy, especially for today.
Commend us, Lord… while we condemn you.
Settle us, bless us, and give us your approval while we nail you to this cross.
We ask the Lord to rescue us during the Responsorial Psalm, but we will shout “crucify him” during the Gospel…
“I am like a dish that is broken.”
Today we sit with the fact that Jesus died for us.
In our brokenness.
In our shame.
In our need of His forgiveness;
We sit there watching Jesus in His agony and pain because of us.
I don’t know about you, but that is a hard pill for me to swallow on a regular day… but on Good Friday? As we walk through the Passion as a collective group condemning Jesus to death? It’s almost too much for me to handle.
But that’s why we do it. It’s why we celebrate the entire Triduum--to celebrate the goodness of our Lord. As the Psalm reading says “You are my God. In your hands is my destiny; rescue me from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors.” Sometimes, our biggest enemy is ourselves. We get in our own way of achieving God’s plan for us. “Take courage and be stouthearted, all you who hope in the Lord.”
I’ll keep it short because even the Priest is supposed to only give a brief homily on Good Friday.
On Good Friday, sit with the weight of God’s Love. Sit with it, embrace it, and be in awe of it. Let us remember God loved us so much that He sent His only son to die for us so we can be forgiven.
Emilie Berard has walked with God in various capacities including volunteering and working for the Diocese of Lafayette for several years. She is married to her wonderful husband, Chris, and together they strive to grow their marriage to be faith-filled. She would like to invite you to check out the National Eucharistic Revival. You can find her on Instagram.
Pray with today’s psalm.