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Reflection for April 3, 2026
The Wood of the Cross
On Good Friday, the Church falls silent. The altar is bare. The Tabernacle is empty. We are confronted with the raw, brutal reality of Calvary.
At first glance, this is a day of utter defeat. The Creator is rejected by His creatures. Justice is mocked, truth is crucified, and Love itself hangs bleeding and dying. We see the price of our sin—not a vague concept, but the horrific tearing of innocent flesh. We see what our pride, our selfishness, our “no” to God truly costs.
And yet, from the depths of this darkness, the Church calls this Friday “Good.”
Why? Because on this tree of shame, God rewrites the history of salvation. The wood of the Cross becomes the new Tree of Life. Where Adam reached up to grasp equality with God and fell, Jesus stretches out His arms in perfect obedience and lifts us up. The blood that flows is not a symbol of defeat, but the very price of our ransom.
Look at the Cross. Do not look away. See the suffering—that is the honest consequence of sin. But then, with the eyes of faith, see the love. Jesus is not a victim of circumstance; He is a priest offering Himself. Every wound is a word: “I love you.” Every gasp for air is an act of intercession: “Father, forgive them.”
This Good Friday, let us not simply mourn a tragedy. Let us stand in awe at the furnace of Love. And let us whisper our own “Thank you” to the God who would rather die than live without us.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, crucified for me, let me never forget the cost of my salvation. Pierce my heart with gratitude for Your love, and teach me to see, in Your wounds, my only hope. Amen.