The Easter weekend provides an opportunity for some people to travel since they have an extra day or two off work. The “Wandering Pew,” consisting of my husband and myself, usually hits the road at Easter.
Of course, that means finding Holy Week services wherever we are. Years ago, we attended Good Friday services at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fayetteville, Texas—a small, historically Czech community between Austin and Houston.
The pastor gave a homily that day about Christ’s suffering during the Passion. In particular, the priest described how hurtful it was for Christ to hear the people of Jerusalem call for His crucifixion.
Following the Crowd
The Gospel tells us that when Pontius Pilate asked the Jews what he should do with Jesus, they cried out “Crucify Him!” Pilate tried to reason with the crowd, but they repeated, “Crucify Him!”
When we read the Passion, the congregation is asked to play the role of the crowd that day and say, “Crucify Him!” when prompted by the narrator. It puts us in the shoes of those in that Jerusalem crowd. We say those terrible words and feel the mania.
If we lived in those times, would we be like those Jews who thought Jesus was a blasphemer and not the Messiah? Would we have rejected Jesus as just another fraud, or would we have come to believe in Him as the Son of God?
We’d like to think that we would have recognized the truth and been Christ’s disciples. However, do our lives show we have that kind of character and discernment? Would we, instead, have hopped on the bandwagon and joined in the condemnation?
Rejecting Christ
The priest at St. John’s explained that every time we sin, we are, in effect, saying “Crucify him!” After all, every time we sin, we are rejecting Christ, aren’t we? We are hurting Him with our actions and words.
For emphasis, the pastor gave examples. He started out with everyday sins and said, “Every time you tell a lie, you are saying ‘Crucify him!’ Every time you are uncharitable to a neighbor, you are saying ‘Crucify him!’’
As the list of sins became more serious, the pastor’s voice grew louder: “Every time you commit adultery, you are saying ‘CRUCIFY HIM!’ Every time you commit abortion, you are saying ‘CRUCIFY HIM!’”
The congregation was positively cringing by the time the priest finished his homily. The message was clear and humbling. I think people were horrified by the realization of what their behavior meant to their relationship with Christ.
Accepting Christ
We all know that Jesus came to suffer and die for our sins, but we treat that fact as if it were a theory instead of historical reality. The human Jesus really did get flogged, have a crown of thorns pierce his head, and carry a heavy cross to which he was then nailed.
Those were our sins that caused his suffering and continue to hurt God. You mean my little sin is like throwing a stone? My sin is like a sharp lash? My mortal sin is like a nail driven into His hand? Yes!
In the “Act of Contrition” we say that we detest our sins because of God’s punishment, “but most of all because they offend our God who is all-good and deserving of all our love.” So, we acknowledge our sins offend our God who deserves love, not crucifixion.
Then we promise to sin no more. Yet, time after time, there we are with the mob yelling “Crucify Him!” Perhaps sincere meditation on how we hurt God may give us pause before the next outcry.
We experienced a powerful lesson that Good Friday. You never know what is going to happen when you visit a new church, but it is always something memorable, and sometimes it’s something awesome.
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