Good Friday | SPIRITUAL JOURNEY FROM LENT TOWARDS EASTER

Isaiah, on a reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (Is 52:13-53: 12) foretells what will become of the Suffering Messiah during the pinnacle of His Passion and Death in His earthly mission to offer His very own life as an holocaust to obtain pardon or healing of the sins and offenses of many. Fr. Budge recalls the Old Testament's narrative on what transpired when the Wandering Jews in the desert complained of their plight in the wilderness. Because of their sin to Moses and God the Father, the Jews were chastised and was sent multitudes of saraph serpents. Upon repentance of their sins, the Lord God tasked Moses to build an image or replica of saraph serpents mounted on the wooden pole so that whoever looks upon the image should be healed of the venom inflicted by the serpents. It foreshadowed the nailing or mounting and death of Jesus Christ on the tree or cross that will redeem many from their slavery of sins. Here, Fr. Budge also discusses the theology of "suffering" and "dying to ourselves" in relations to our personal lives on this post-modern and pandemic age as a gesture of conformity with what Jesus had demonstrated ordered us to be.

As narrated in the holy Gospel of John (Jn 18: 1- 19: 42), the blow-by-blow account of Jesus' arrest, trials, torture and death on the tree (wooden cross), Fr. Budge shares his insights and reflections about this climactic event of Jesus' last day on earth. Is it not also worth reflecting on the milestones on the history of salvation - the Ark of the Covenant that was built and consecrated by Moses and the Levites clan to contain the Tablet/s of the Ten Commandments, several species of the manna from Heaven and Moses' wooden staff; the virgin womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary that carried the infant Jesus for nine months; and the unused tomb owned by Joseph of Arimathea where Jesus body was laid to rest?