Journey Through Holy Week With the Archbishop of CanterburySample

Of all the days in Holy Week, Friday is the only one we call ‘good.' And on the face of it, it can seem a bit paradoxical. Certainly the events of this day must have appeared anything but good to those disciples witnessing the crucifixion of Jesus – an agonising, shameful death at the hands of a despised occupying power. It seemed that politics, suspicion, and fear had won.

But those first disciples – and we who follow in their footsteps – came to discover something miraculous. Out of the horrors of the cross, God has brought the greatest good of all. Refusing to return violence with violence, preferring faithful service over power or control, Jesus chooses the cross. And – a mystery we can only begin to comprehend – God reconciles each one of us to himself through that very cross.

At the moment Jesus dies, an earthquake occurs and the dead are brought to life. The entire created order is being remade and reimagined. Matthew writes that:

‘the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom’.
(Matthew 27:51)

The separation between God and human beings was dramatically overcome in Jesus’ death.

St. Paul, in his letter to the Colossians, reflects further on what Jesus’ cross meant:

‘For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.’
(Colossians 1:19-20)

So this Friday is deeply, powerfully good. Every single one of us is invited by God into relationship with him. Each one of us is completely loved by him. And, as beloved people, we are called to be reconciled with each other too.

Let’s take a moment to pause and reflect:

• Can you take a moment to reflect on God’s deep love for you?
• Where do I need to be reminded of the power of God to make all things new?