Good Friday Homily (2026)

Good Friday 2026
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-16, 17, 25 (Luke 23:46)
Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
John 18:1-19:42
April 3, 2026

Today we celebrate something very special and very powerful.  It is very important in our faith.

Today we celebrate the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

 Crucifixion was a very painful and humiliating form of execution reserved only for the worst of criminals.  How is it something we celebrate?

We do not celebrate it because it was painful or humiliating.  We celebrate the Crucifixion as a sacrifice of suffering freely made by Jesus for us. 

Hearing what happened to Jesus during his Passion, it may seem to anyone not familiar with the whole story that Jesus’ life was taken from him by his enemies.  His life was not taken from him.

He freely laid done his life for us because He loves us (John 15:13).

A careful reading of the story shows Jesus always knows what is going to happen and remains in control.

When Judas and the soldiers came looking for Jesus, Jesus “went out” to them. 

When Peter cuts off the ear of the high priest’s slave, Jesus stops Peter and heals the slave, submitting himself to the cup that the Father gave him.

Jesus never tried to back away from what He had taught to save his earthly life.  He stood by what He said because it was the truth!  The truth that He was sent to testify to.

Jesus knew Peter would deny him three times before it happened.

Even as He hung on the Cross, Jesus was calm and made sure his mother would be taken care of.  Do you care for your parents?  Do you care for your children?

Jesus’ last words were “It is finished.”  He knew what the Father’s plan was and He stuck to it to the finish.  His life was not taken from him.  He freely gave it as a sacrifice for us.

His suffering confused some.  They did not expect the Messiah to suffer.  Jesus’ Crucifixion was “a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (see 1 Corinthians 1:20-25).

It was “foolishness” to the Gentiles because who would expect a king who will be killed by his enemies.  It was a “stumbling block” to the Jews because they sought a Messiah who would be a political king like King David who defeated their enemies.

The Jews should have known better for Isaiah had professed how the servant would suffer.  Jesus fulfills the prophecy in our first reading.

Isaiah wrote for the Lord, “See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be raised high and greatly exalted.”  Jesus was raised high and exalted not in spite of his suffering but because of it.  Jesus was raised high by the Father because He learned obedience through his suffering. 

Are you willing to surrender everything to God in obedience?

Ponder what happened to Jesus in light of what Isaiah wrote, “so marred was his look beyond human semblance and his appearance beyond that of the sons of man.” 

Is this not exactly what happened to Jesus when He was scourged, beaten, and crucified?

Isaiah continues of the suffering servant, “He was spurned…a man of suffering.”  Jesus was mocked as “the king of Jews.”

Why?

Jesus was innocent.  Why did He suffer?

“It was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured…he was pierced for our offenses.” 

Jesus paid the price for our sins.  We are the ones who have gone astray.  We are the guilty ones.  Yet, Jesus took our suffering upon himself.  As He does this, we are healed of our sins.  We are forgiven because Jesus submitted to his Passion.  He suffered as an offering for our sins.

Jesus loves you.

As Paul writes, “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Jesus died for you and for me.

We must never take this for granted.  We should learn by Jesus’ example to give ourselves over to the Father’s Will.

We should not think that we shouldn’t have to suffer because Jesus already paid the price.

We need to allow God to be at work in us through our sufferings to shape us to become He means for us to be.

Ask God to unite your sufferings to Jesus’ sufferings.

Ask God for the grace to bear your sufferings well.  When others see you bear your sufferings well, they will see how important your faith is to you.