A Deacon first: Preaching on Good Friday

Today was my 4th Good Friday as a Permanent Deacon yet I had never preached on this day; until today.  At Most Holy Trinity the deacons are asked to preach both Holy Thursday and Good Friday so our two Priests can prepare their Easter homilies.  Last year I was assigned Holy Thursday.  In my previous 2 years at St. Jane the senior deacon preached; as has been the tradition for years.

Despite the fact that I've been preaching now for almost 4 years, I must admit I was very nervous about preparing for today's homily.  Even though I work very hard at preparation, I also rely heavily on the influences I feel from the Holy Spirit.  And this week I kept feeling tugged to the 1st reading from Isaiah.  I found myself coming back, time and again, to that shift in the first reading where suffering begins to be described as redemptive, as expiation.  We can begin to explore the concept of uniting our sufferings with the sufferings of Jesus Christ when we understand that suffering is not a punishment for sin. 

I used a few images today; that of a recent funeral I attended, and even the pelican.  The state bird of Louisiana, the pelican is known to injure her own breast in order to nourish her young with her own flesh and blood.  She does this for the life of her young.  We know that Jesus Christ, although he does not self inflict injury, still surrenders his all, and for us dies on the Cross.  This happens just hours after he gave us his own flesh and blood, in the Eucharist, for us, so we may share in eternal life!  Powerful!  I even was blessed to find the use of the pelican in describing Christ by St. Thomas Aquinas in his oft quoted Adoro Te Devote.

And finally, I used a reminder that we can approach Good Friday not just sentimentally, but sacramentally.  For when the soldier thrusts his lance into the side of Jesus, and blood and water flows, we are given, right there on the wood of the Cross, Baptism and Eucharist!

My final question: Why is Good Friday good?  We know the answer; for he loved us to the point of death on the first altar of sacrifice, the cross.  And now we have the unbloody altar and the unbloody sacrifice of the Eucharist.  Good indeed; good indeed!