GOOD FRIDAY 2021: FORSAKEN YET VICTORIOUS

 GOOD FRIDAY 2021: FORSAKEN YET VICTORIOUS

Symbol for Today: This is a wall multi-media painting composed of the following: cakebox for its base and paper bags for the dark background. The immediate background of the cross, the circular halo is made of thick cake baseboard painted with poster water colors, light blue disposable face masks, bamboo cross, twisted brown paper bags for the mound and flattened aluminum beer cans, black strip of cloth. This symbolizes the life, suffering and hopes believers have.The brightly colored halo or sun represents the hope for a brighter future for the people. The flattered beer cans symbolize the rich natural and spiritual resources of the Filipino that have been the object of greed by both Filipino and foreign corporations.

I was listening to a religious person being interviewed by a radio-tv newscasters on an evening program of what can he suggest to the listeners for their Holy Week reflections. I really appreciate the tv/radio station anchor persons for giving time for a religious leader to make suggestions. What strikes me most in the suggestions given was the acquiescent attitude or expression in the observance of the Holy Week. Specifically mentioned was the attempt in conditioning people not to complain even when they are suffering due to government policies. I can't imagine myself losing the balance between contemplative and active aspects of my spirituality. One can emphasize the active involvement in the issues and concerns of people in society, making them contemporary prophets, analyzing the political, economic, social and cultural aspects of people's lives. But concentrating on the contemplative aspects of spirituality, would somehow limit our faith and witness in the halls of our churches.

It has been thirty (30) years since I started my Pastoral Ministry in Western Visayas Conference, after completing my M.Div. in 1991. I have celebrated the almost same number of Holy Week liturgical celebrations, and Good Friday service is the most challenging of all because of the theological treaties that get into it. At the same time the psychological impact of the trial of Jesus before Caiphas, the chief of the Jewish Council, the face to-face with Pontius Pilate and Herod. Then we walk with Jesus on the Via Dolorosa to Golgotha, then the Via Crucis or the way and experiences of the crucifixion where we hear the words of Jesus on the cross few hours before he died. 

Theological treatises of God's forgiveness has often been interpreted as the eradication of all hatred and animosity between the God and human beings, and human to human interrelationships. However, there is the tendency to jumped into the theology of sin and forgiveness with less emphasis on God's justice and reconciliatory acts. Classical theologies would not jump into cheap grace for those who have wronged their neighbor, God's grace entail a remorse, a turn around or metanoia from sin to accepting God's pardon. Violence inflicted on persons because they assert their right to life, is not free from culpability from the law.

Then we have the theological treatise of Paradise, which has its origin in Genesis, where Eden was the primordial place of innocence and at the same time of disobedience and punishment. A thief asked to be remembered in Paradise, but Jesus told him he will be with him in Paradise. Well Paradise means a refuge from the pain and agony, an ethereal place and abode for troubled souls. It sounds like a panacea for someone who has terminal illness or facing an impending death and the only comforting word leave to appease him is "You will be with in Paradise."

These words can be synonymous with "You are not alone, we are here to help you, we love you." Many of those who died of lung viral infection mostly related to SARS-2 Covid-19 virus, have been prevented from having family members surround them at the last few hours of their lives. Then family members could no longer touch the physical body when the loved one died. Only a bucket of ashes is surrendered to the family members. We hope and pray they joined Jesus in Paradise.

Furthermore, in the Via Crucis, the social relations of generation and gender come into view. Mothering a Messiah is not easy as we all know how children in their teens and early adulthood have been having tumultuous behavior. A mother cannot resist feeling compassion for her son and even if the son is wayward in his lifestyle, the mother would have extra patience for him. But here is Jesus, Mary's Son, who is hanging on the cross being penalized for capital crime of treason and blasphemy. "Woman, here is your Son, and to the disciples, there is your Mother." 

This is truly transcendental of the strict family relations, in contrast to the tribal social relations that consider every child, a child of all families. Christian communities must be accepting of the orphans, widows, single mothers and those who belong to LGBT genders. Jesus entrusting his mother to the disciple has patriarchal nuances in Jesus words on the cross, yet the value of that in our modern world is captures in the paraphrase, "Woman here is your Son, being executed, you will lose him, "and to the disciples, "there is your mother, comfort her, and you will be one community."

There is that intense feeling of pain and pulsating of the nervous system as the body is drained and exhausted. Wouldn't we say, "I'm hungry" or "I'm thirsty" and the natural instinct is to find food or water to satisfy the need. Yet, the feeling of being forsaken is more intense than thirst of hunger. This human sense of dereliction or feeling abandoned by friends and family members is unbearable. More so the feeling of the being cut-off from divine's direct assistance, thus, "My God, my God why have you forsaken me?" a remorseful utterance that those political-military operatives listening to Jesus, thought that calling to God for help is weak and wearisome stance at the point of death. Yet, it is an utterance of resistance from the virulent powers-that-be that profits from the use of torture as punitive means for those who assert the value of life and the sovereignty of God over people's lives and over all creation.

Completing a job gives one a sense of fulfillment and a shout out "It is finished." Dying on the cross as punishment for blasphemy and treason would be too much and would outweigh innocence by political vendetta on the weighing scale. Jesus started his public ministry three years before his execution and all human circumstances that led his death were interpreted as within the purview of God's plan. Even Jesus himself espoused this kind of interpretation that his mission is to voluntarily offer his life as a ransom for the sins of the world. Nobody understand that, except him, the Son of God. 

In another sense we can assume that Jesus, despite his willingness to let the cup of suffering and death pass before him, or be free from the violent convulsions of the Jewish religious leaders and the leaders of the Roman Empire, but that internal struggle to be scathe free was lost in Jesus utterance, "it is not my will, but yours be done." It is within this yell "It is finished" that the god-human sacrifice has been realized. God allowed this execution to happen? Perhaps for a greater reason than blood sacrifice to appease God, but to stop the practice of human sacrifices that are consequences of mishandling of justice. Somehow, Jesus work for salvation was completed, but remain incomplete for modern day executions are prevalent, in extrajudicial killings or tokhang, because the state and to those the task of meting out justice was given, mishandle justice for the poor, deprived and oppressed.

Finally, before Jesus had his last breathe, commended his spirit to God, "Into your hands I commit my spirit." Death doesn't have the final word for our lives. Even when we leave our mortal bodies to death and dust, our God awaits for us somewhere which the Bible describes as a place of respite from pain, violence, hunger or thirst. We will rest in God's abiding places. Our faith in God's power giving us new life is a hope provoking inspiration for all of us. May we everyday, say, "O compassionate and loving God, I commit my life to you." Amen. +++