The 7 last words of Christ:
Father
forgive them for they know not what they are doing:
This would have to be the most profound statements made by our Lord
Jesus Christ – “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are
doing”. These words were spoken as Jesus
hung on the cross, in unimaginable agony and pain, and yet, He was still able
to have compassion for those who were crucifying Him.What would your first
words have been?
Father – avenge my death?
These words are a witness to the boundless mercy, love, and forgiveness
that Jesus offers to all of us. It comforts us to know that when we sin, Jesus
is interceding with his Heavenly Father to forgive us. But it is also a call
for us to forgive others as well, just as Jesus forgave those who crucified
Him. St Paul, in Philippians chapter 2 urges Christians to imitate Christ’s
sacrifice on the cross, to offer forgiveness even when the situation seems
hopeless, and, as Jesus called us to do, to love our enemies. It is through this forgiveness and compassion
that we can truly experience the peace and joy of Christ.
Let us pray that we may be able to forgive those who have hurt us, to
seek forgiveness from those we have wronged, and to always remember that we are
called to love and forgive one another as Christ loved and forgave us.
Truly
I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise:
These words that Jesus spoke to the thief hanging next to him on the
cross have brought comfort and hope to many over the centuries. "Truly I
say to you, today you will be with me in paradise." Here we see the mercy
and forgiveness of Jesus in action. He
didn't turn away from the thief who had lived a life of crime and sin. He didn't say "It's too late for you,
you've missed out on heaven." He
didn’t tell him to first go and make amends – do penance. No, he welcomed the
man with open arms, assuring him of salvation even in his last moments of life.
Jesus reveals that no one is beyond the reach of God's love and mercy. Even if
we have lived a life of sin and error, we can still turn to Jesus, repent of
our ways and be welcomed into his kingdom.
Today, we live in a world that sometimes seems hopeless and broken. It's easy to lose heart and to feel that there
is no hope for our troubled world. But we can take comfort in Jesus' words to
the thief beside him. We can remember that even in the darkest moments, God is
always there and always ready to offer forgiveness, love, and hope. So let us
turn to Jesus today, no matter what we have done or how lost we feel. Let us
remember the words he spoke to the thief on the cross, "Truly I say to
you, today you will be with me in paradise." With these words in our
hearts, we can face the challenges of this world, confident that we have a
savior who loves us, forgives us, and will never abandon us.
Woman
behold your son. Then he said to the disciple, behold your mother:
Such a touching scene from the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ. As
he hung on the cross, Jesus, in his dying moments he again shows concern for
others above himself. His concern is for his mother and his disciple whom he
loved. Such profound words. Jesus did not forget his duty to care for those he
loved. Despite his own suffering, he wanted to ensure that Mary would be looked
after and protected in the absence of her son.
This selflessness and tender care for his mother is just one more
demonstration of the kind of love that Jesus taught and lived his entire life
right up to his last breath. Jesus has left us the example of self-sacrifice to
follow his example of care and concern for those around us. Just as he provided
for his mother, we too are called to provide for and care for those who are
close to us. We are called to be faithful, loving and caring in our
relationships, just as Jesus was with Mary and John.
Jesus reminds us of the importance of community and one another in our
journey of faith. His words remind us of
the great love, selflessness, and compassion of our Lord, and call us to be
faithful in our own relationships and to look out with care for our community
of believers as we support one another. May we take these words into our hearts
and lives, and learn to love more deeply and completely, just as Christ did
throughout his earthly ministry right up to his dying breath.
My
God, my God, why have you forsaken me:
Such sadness and suffering in these words: These words that were spoken
by Jesus Christ are because of our sins.
They challenge us to consider the depth of pain and despair that our
actions can take and cause distance from God to others. Whilst we might see
this cry from Jesus in negative light it can actually be a sign of faith rather
than a lack of it.
Despite his agony, Jesus did not curse or renounce God; he simply asked
why it seemed as if God had abandoned him.
Jesus demonstrated that even when we feel lost or alone, we can still
cling to the hope that God is listening.
We know that God didn’t abandon Jesus but rather it was our sin that
caused the separation as it did with Adam and Even when they hid from God
because of their sin. But it was God who came looking for Adam rather than
abandoning him – Adam, where are you? God has forsaken no one. God is always with us, always watching over
us, even in our darkest hours. Even when
we walk through the valley of the shadow of death – we will not be afraid
because our Good Shepherd is with us.
At times we may feel as if God is far away, as if our prayers are
unanswered, as if we are alone. When we
experience this sense of abandonment, we can turn to God, like Jesus on the
cross, and honestly ask why. God does not abandon us, but rather enters into
our suffering, takes on our pain, and brings us redemption. God's love is stronger than death, and that
nothing can separate us from the love of God. So take heart, even in your times
of struggle and doubt and remember that God is always with us, that God
understands our pain, and that God will never, ever forsake us. Let us turn to
Him in our moments of need and trust that He will lead us through the valley of
darkness and into the light of his love.
I
Thirst
These two simple words hold such profound meaning not just for our Lord
but for each and every one of us as well.
When Jesus said, “I thirst”, He expressed His physical thirst due to the
exhaustion of His journey to Calvary and the pain of His crucifixion. But this
thirst also represented a spiritual longing for the salvation of all humankind
as he had expressed in The Beatitudes: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst
for righteousness – which is what Jesus is doing here – thirsting for our
righteousness as Paul explains in 2 Corinthians: God made him who had no sin to
become our sin so that we could become his righteousness.
Jesus knew that His sacrifice on the cross was necessary to save us from
sin. He thirsted for our salvation, so
that we could be reconciled with God and inherit eternal life. As followers of
Christ, we too are called to thirst after something greater than ourselves. We
are called to thirst for the love of God to be received by those who do not
know his love. We thirst for righteousness for others that can only be
satisfied by a relationship with God as Jesus had offered to the Samaritan
woman – the Living Water by which we will never thirst again.
As we reflect this Good Friday we reflect on the ultimate sacrifice that
our Lord made for us on the cross. May
His words, “I thirst”, serve as a reminder of His love for us, and inspire us
to seek a deeper relationship with Him for ourselves and others so that we may
be filled with the living water that only Christ can provide, so that we may
thirst no more.
It
is finished
"It is finished." These three words spoken by Jesus hold
within them the entire message of the Gospel. They are words of victory, words
of fulfilled prophecy, and words of sacrifice. When Jesus said, "It is
finished", he was referring to the completion of his mission on earth. He
had come to redeem us from sin and reconcile us with God. His journey on earth was filled with
challenges and sufferings, but he never veered despite the pleas of Peter –
this will never happen to you – despite his anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane
– take this cup from me.
Through his death, Jesus showed us the depth of God's love for us. He
paid the ultimate price for the forgiveness of our sins. But this was also a fulfillment of the
prophecy of the Old Testament prophets, who had prophesied about the coming of
a Savior – the suffering servant - who would bring salvation to humanity. In
our lives, we sometimes find ourselves struggling with pain and suffering,
feeling as if we are carrying a heavy burden. Jesus' words remind us that no matter the
weight of our cross, we can find hope and strength in his sacrifice. His love
for us knows no bounds, and he will be with us every step of the way as he had
promised – I am with you always to the end – till it is finished.
Let us keep Jesus' words “it is finished” close to our hearts and
remember that our salvation was won through his ultimate sacrifice of Jesus’
suffering for us. May these words of Jesus, "It is finished," be the
reminder of the immense love that He has for each one of us and strengthen us
to carry our own crosses so that we, too, may finish the race and share in the
victory that He has won for us.
Father,
into your hands I commit my spirit
These were the last words Jesus spoke before He breathed His last breath
on the cross. These words express the trust and surrender into God’s loving
presence. Jesus knew that His death was necessary for our salvation, and He
willingly offered Himself up for us. In
His final moments, He entrusted His spirit to His Father, knowing that He would
be received into His loving embrace.
The same promise for us that is ensured in the very first words spoken
from the cross – forgive them Father for they know not what they are doing. The
same promise given to the thief on the cross – today you will be with me in
Paradise.
And so we are called to trust and surrender in the same way that Jesus
had with in His Heavenly Father. We are not to be concerned about the worries
and fears of life, but remember that we have a God who loves us and cares for
us and welcomes us into his Kingdom. And so we commit our life into our
Father’s hands.
Jesus forgave those who had Crucified Him and continues to forgive until
we reach our Heavenly home. This act of
forgiveness serves as an example for us to follow in our daily lives forgiving
others. As we meditate on Jesus' words, "Father, into your hands I commit
my spirit," let us renew our trust and surrender to God. Let us remember the sacrifice and love that
Jesus showed us on the cross and seek that forgiveness to be extended to those
around us.
In conclusion, let us pray together: Heavenly Father, we entrust
ourselves to Your care and love. Help us to have faith and trust in You, and
may we imitate the example of Jesus in our daily lives. We thank You for Your
mercy and forgiveness, and we ask for the strength to forgive those who have
wronged us. Father, into your hands we commit our spirit.
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