Sunday Homilies by Fr. Rudolf V. D’ Souza

  Click here for other Sunday Homilies 

GOOD FRIDAY
A GIFT OF LOVE - 2007
Celebration of the Lord's Passion
April 6, 2007
Year: C
Is. 52:13-53:12; Heb. 4:14-16; 5:7-9
Jn. 18:1-19:42

  … Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there." [Jn. 18:1-19:42]

Helpful Story:
"Can I see my baby?" the happy new mother asked. When the bundle was nestled in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped. The doctor turned quickly and looked out the tall hospital window. The baby had been born without ears. Time proved that the baby's hearing was perfect. It was only his appearance that was marred. When he rushed home from school one day and flung himself into his mother's arms, she sighed, knowing that his life was to be a succession of heartbreaks. 

He blurted out the tragedy. "A boy, a big boy...called me a freak." He grew

up, handsome for his misfortune. A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that. He developed a gift, a talent for literature and music. "But you might mingle with other young people," his mother reproved him, but felt a kindness in her heart. 

The boy's father had a session with the family physician. Could nothing be done? "I believe I could graft on a pair of outer ears, if they could be procured" the doctor decided. Whereupon the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for a young man. Two years went by. Then, "You are going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But it's a secret" said the father.  

The operation was a brilliant success, and a new person emerged. His talents blossomed into genius, and school and college became a series of triumphs. Later he married and entered the diplomatic service. "But I must know!" He urged his father. "Who gave so much for me? I could never do enough for him." 

"I do not believe you could," said the father, "but the agreement was that you are not to know...not yet." The years kept their profound secret, but the day did come… one of the darkest days that ever pass through a son.

He stood with his father over his mother's casket. Slowly, tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish-brown hair to reveal . . . that the mother had no outer ears. 

"Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut," he whispered gently, "and nobody ever thought mother less  beautiful, did they"?  

Jesus Disfigured to make us Beautiful
Jesus said, I call your friends and not servants. Real beauty lies not in the physical appearance, but in the heart. Real treasure lies not in what that can be seen, but what that cannot be seen. Real love lies not in what is done and known, but in what that is done but not known. Jesus like a good friend lays down his life. “There is no greater love than laying down one’s life for his friends”. Words of Jesus proved to be totally true in his death on the cross. 

Jesus poor, naked, miserable, criminal, loosing everything has only the last words to pronounce. These last words have already the spirit of the resurrection. What is resurrection? It is the result of life lived in total dedication and surrender to God and neighbour. 

1) Father forgive them, they do not know what they are doing (Lk 23:24). Forgiveness is with the hope of establishing a healthy relationship. 

2) I tell you this today you will be with me in Paradise (Lk 23:43). Promise of hope and joy. 

3) Woman he is your son, Son “she is your mother’ (Jn 19:26-27). Helping out someone in giving generously. Self sacrifice has no explanation. 

4) My God my God why have you forsaken me? (Mt 27:46). A complain lodged against His own Father. Why? 

5) I thirst (Jn 19:28). Thirst for... 

6) It is accomplished (Jn 19:30). The final stamp of surrender. 

7) Father into thy hand I commend my Spirit (Lk 23:46)

- The spirit of forgiveness ever needed for a healthy happy family life.

- The attitude of hope and joy in the family promising paradise to those who harm us with their words.

- Devotion to Mary (the example of perfect humility). Mary our mother the perfect example of charity and devotion to God can help us better our life because she sets us an example of hidden-ness.

- Things that cannot be changed in the family must be accepted as the will of God; this also called passive purification. Jesus could not change anything on the Cross. He just cried out to the Father.

- Thirst for God and thirst for the salvation of souls. We need this thirst to help others, thirsting for God’s kingdom.

- It is accomplished; the mission must be accomplished; it is entrusted with us. Can we one day say, it is finished? Or will we still continue to say it is not finished?

- There is joy when we surrender into the hands of God.

When we look at suffering we discover that there are different types of suffering. There is physical suffering. We suffer physically when we have a fall, a cut, a knife’s incision on our flesh, a wound, a boil on our skin, a tooth ache, stomach ache etc. We suffer psychologically, when we suffer the pain of betrayal, when we feel cheated, humiliated, ignored. Psychologically we can suffer more than physically. Then we can think of sociological suffering, such as discrimination, marginalization due to caste, creed and colours etc. Moral suffering is that which we suffer when we do damage to ourselves and others based on moral grounds. When do something which is ethically wrong, we feel the prick of conscience. Spiritual suffering is, when we do not understand the ways of God, when we feel that God is far away from us and we are left alone to suffer. These are the ways we suffer and that causes pain. 

Take a long look around the world. Enormous numbers of people are suffering everywhere for every kind of reason. Every day, 200,000 people starve to death—and this is after weeks or months of horrible suffering. Such suffering is not limited to physical pain, but includes psychological and mental anguish of parents often having to watch their children die in their arms. Starvation is so awful that death is actually a blessed relief.

Even more people die each day from disease. The very word disease means people are not “at ease.” As you read this article, untold trauma, pain and suffering, due to crippling conditions, infections and disease of every sort, are occurring around the world. Just in Africa, children are orphaned by the millions every year, due to AIDS alone.

Now consider poverty, which affects one-third of all people on earth. The lack of even the most basic necessities (sufficient water, sanitation, clothing and shelter, as well as food) brings untold suffering to over two billion people. Conditions are growing worse instead of better.

War now ravages much of the world, with some nations suffering almost complete destruction of their economy, property, homes and businesses, including injury or death to large numbers of their civilian populations.

Earthquakes, fires, floods, volcanoes, tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, other violent storms, drought, blights and insect infestations due to weather, also take their toll on the human misery index. Why doesn’t God better control the weather and nature?

Jesus cried, “My God My God, Why have you forsaken me? (Mt 27:46).

NO ANSWER
How to overcome suffering? To put it positively and constructively—by acquiring knowledge and by adaptability, which I term as COMING OUT OF THE TOMB. Knowledge helps us to overcome the force of evil within our own blood, and in that force of evil suffering resides. Adaptability enables us to control the forces which act as irritants and arouse the evil in us—the evil we are trying to curb and control. Every student-practitioner of spirituality knows that when by study and meditation he has composed himself, something happens and his equipoise is shaken. Our resources are within ourselves and by knowledge we learn to use them in outer life—that is adaptability and coming out of our TOMB. 

First lesson is that suffering is necessary; it awakens the soul, it educates the real man. Suffering results from ignorance, from failure to learn from a previous experience of suffering. Obstinate persistence in old and outworn ways which no more can teach us, and which we know to be wrong, brings us the bitterest suffering. 

Secondly, by the force of desire in us we ourselves make our own suffering. It is not foisted upon us by some god outside, or by the people we contact. 

Thirdly, because we ourselves create our own suffering we alone can overcome it. By the power of aspirations, the higher aspect of desire, we frustrate ignorance — illusion. 

Fourthly, the womb of suffering is lust, anger, greed. The root of bliss and happiness is also triple—compassion or universal love; patience sweet, and generosity which expands into altruism. We require knowledge to fight lust with compassion, to overcome anger by patience, and to defeat greed by developing generosity. Thus is misery ended, thus suffering is vanquished, and the Light of Joy burns steadfastly in our hearts. This practice is necessary for everyone. 

The voice of flesh brings misery, the voice of conscience brings warning, the voice of the soul brings happiness.

  Click here for other Sunday Homilies