Saint of the Day for 29 March: Holy Friday
Holy Friday: Reflection on the Passion and Crucifixion of Jesus Christ
Name
Holy Friday
Title
The passion of the Lord
Recurrence
29 March
Martyrology
2004 edition
Prayer
Lord Jesus you bore our sorrows and were humbled under the burden of the cross. You were pierced for our crimes, crushed for our iniquities. You became a sore and suffering body because you put yourself in our place to save us from sin. So much you loved us, Lord Jesus! We ask your forgiveness as we contemplate your disfigured face and remember your words that we would like to make dwell in our hearts. If anyone wants to be my disciple let him take up his cross and follow me. By this holy cross, may you be blessed for ever and ever. Amen.
The Saint and Mission
Holy Friday takes us to the heart of the Paschal mystery, inviting us to meditate on the passion and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This solemn day offers a unique opportunity to reflect on the nature of Christ’s sacrifice and the profound meaning of his saving mission. Through the story of his suffering and death on the cross, we are called to contemplate God’s infinite love for humanity and the call to actively participate in the mission of redemption that Jesus undertook. The passion of Christ reveals the depth of God’s love and mercy in an unparalleled way. In the voluntary embrace of the cross, Jesus fulfills the mission for which he came into the world: to reconcile humanity with God, overcoming sin and death. His suffering is not only an act of personal sacrifice, but it is atonement for the sins of the whole world, a redemptive act that opens the way to salvation for all those who welcome his message of love and hope. Holy Friday, therefore, not only invites us to a meditation on suffering, but also to a reflection on our response to Christ’s call. The mission of Jesus continues in the world through the Church and every believer is called to take part in this mission. This means embracing the cross in our lives, carrying our sacrifices and sufferings with love and trust, uniting them with those of Christ for the redemption of the world. It also means working for justice, peace and love in the contexts in which we live, bearing witness to the Gospel through our words and our actions. Holy Friday also challenges us to recognize and respond to suffering in the world with compassion and solidarity. The passion of Christ reminds us that God is not indifferent to human pain, but meets it with redemptive love. As followers of Christ, we are called to be present for those who suffer, offering comfort, hope, and practical assistance, thus reflecting God’s merciful love for the world. Holy Friday is a day of deep spiritual reflection that invites us to contemplate Christ’s sacrifice and to renew our commitment to live according to his mission. It reminds us that salvation is a gift of grace, obtained through the sacrificial love of Jesus, and that each of us is called to participate in his redemptive work. This solemn day invites us to walk with Christ on the path of the cross, confident that suffering and death do not have the last word, but that they lead to the glory of the Resurrection.
The Saint and Mercy
Holy Friday immerses us in the heart of divine mercy, showing us through the passion and crucifixion of Jesus Christ the depth of the love that God has for each of us. On this day, mercy does not appear as an abstract concept, but as a tangible reality, embodied in the supreme sacrifice of Christ on the cross. The narrative of his suffering invites us to reflect on the sacrificial nature of true love: a love that does not hesitate to give itself to the extreme for the good of the other. The passion of Christ reveals to us that God’s mercy goes far beyond our human ability to understand. God himself, in the humility and vulnerability of Christ, chooses to experience abandonment, betrayal, physical and spiritual suffering, thus demonstrating his unconditional solidarity with humanity in every form of pain and sin. This act of God’s self-emptying is the epitome of mercy: a God who becomes our neighbor, who shares our wounds and who redeems us through his love. On Holy Friday, mercy is also manifested in the invitation to personal and community conversion. The cross of Christ challenges us about our responsibilities towards our brothers and sisters and about our commitment to live according to the values of the Gospel. It challenges us to break the cycles of hatred, indifference and injustice, encouraging us to build relationships based on understanding, forgiveness and mutual care. Divine mercy, revealed so powerfully on Holy Friday, thus becomes a model for our actions, calling us to be instruments of peace and reconciliation in the world. Finally, Holy Friday reminds us that God’s mercy is a source of hope. Even in the darkest moment of the crucifixion, when all seems lost, the light of the resurrection is not far away. This hope, rooted in the definitive victory of God’s love over death, motivates us not to despair in the face of life’s difficulties and suffering, but to trust firmly in the promise of salvation and renewal that Easter brings us. Holy Friday invites us to contemplate and experience mercy in all its dimensions, recognizing in Christ’s sacrifice the maximum expression of God’s love for us. It calls us to profound reflection on our ability to welcome this love and transmit it to others, thus transforming our reality with concrete gestures of mercy, compassion and hope. On this sacred day, we are called to renew our commitment to follow Christ on the way of the cross, confident in His promise of redemption and new life.
Hagiography
The Church by meditating on the passion of Christ and worshiping the Cross commemorates its origin from the side of the Lord, who on the cross intercedes for the salvation of the whole world. The Eucharist is not celebrated on this day. The priest and…