A popular Good Friday tradition, very well-known especially in Latin America, is what we call the "sermon of the seven words." People gather in their parishes, on Friday after the adoration of the Cross, and a sermon is preached on each one of the seven words (or phrases) that Jesus pronounced on the cross in the different Gospels.
On the theological level, the cross is a liberating and salvific event, but at a historical, human, personal and psychological level, the cross was a harrowing experience for Jesus. It is, in a way, the image of total loss. On the cross Jesus not only lost his life but also his disciples, his plans, his identity, his good name, his reputation. On the cross Jesus loses everything.
The “seven words” can become, for us, a good tool in order to face our own experiences of loss. We live in a society that values success, and by it, establishes the worthiness of a person. But what we might have to learn and teach is not so much how to win but how to to lose. In fact, not knowing how to cope with our losses is the underlying cause of violence or intolerance, for instance. Both violence and intolerance are symptoms that indicate that those who practice them are not well prepared for loss. And yet, from an early age our lives are full of losses: one can lose a loved one, lose a fight, a discussion, a privilege, or a job, and it depends on how well prepared we are that we can move on after an experience of loss. We must learn to handle losses, and Jesus, in his words on the cross, can give us a clue about how to cope with our own experiences of the cross, our Good Friday, and thus prepare ourselves for the resurrection.
1. «My God, my God, why have you forsaken me» (Matthew, 27:46 and Mark 15:34). The scream is heartbreaking, devastating and shocking, coming from Jesus himself. But, it is also extremely human. It’s a cry of frustration: I can’t go on! It is a cathartic cry that, one way or another, helps us to let go. As we live our crosses it is necessary to know how to express ourselves, without repression. We have to be able to say without fear or remorse what we are suffering, at least to our own selves.
2. «Father, forgive them because they do not know what they are doing» (Luke 23:34). Every experience of loss is often accompanied by the assignment of guilt, either to others or to oneself. That is why, to be able to assume loss, we must embrace the experience of forgiveness. The absence of grudges is essential for the healing of wounds.
3. «I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise» (Luke 23:43). Often the experiences of loss are, at the time, meaningless and defeat any logical explication. But we should try to discover, even in a counter-intuitive way, the positive elements that such experience can trigger.
4. «Father, into your hands I commend my spirit» (Luke 23:46). In times of loss we must recognize that we cannot always be in control of situations or other people. Letting go, knowing that events are beyond us is a way to deal with losses in a healthy way. We have to learn how to let go.
5. «I thirst» (John 19:28). Asking for help is always a way to make our crosses more bearable, recognize our vulnerability and, thus, our obvious need for others. We are not heroes.
6. «Woman, here is your son ... here is your mother» (John 19: 26-27). One of the most difficult dimensions of a loss is to accept that people around us do not have to live our situation, and even though they may show empathy toward us, we should not drag others to our own crosses or our own pits of pain.
7. «It has been accomplished» (John 19:30). In moments of loss or mourning, sometimes as a consolation we find unhelpful expressions like "everything happens for a reason" or even worse, "God has His own plans” or “this is simply what He wanted." Although unfortunate, these expressions reveal the idea that often our crosses, the sufferings that invade us at a certain moment, are doors to new paths that without them we would never have explored. There is meaning, perhaps, in our suffering.
Let us examine these words of Jesus on the Cross; let all our experiences of loss, perhaps with the help of time, be positive, so that Good Friday we may not have the last word and we may reach the Resurrection.
On the theological level, the cross is a liberating and salvific event, but at a historical, human, personal and psychological level, the cross was a harrowing experience for Jesus. It is, in a way, the image of total loss. On the cross Jesus not only lost his life but also his disciples, his plans, his identity, his good name, his reputation. On the cross Jesus loses everything.
The “seven words” can become, for us, a good tool in order to face our own experiences of loss. We live in a society that values success, and by it, establishes the worthiness of a person. But what we might have to learn and teach is not so much how to win but how to to lose. In fact, not knowing how to cope with our losses is the underlying cause of violence or intolerance, for instance. Both violence and intolerance are symptoms that indicate that those who practice them are not well prepared for loss. And yet, from an early age our lives are full of losses: one can lose a loved one, lose a fight, a discussion, a privilege, or a job, and it depends on how well prepared we are that we can move on after an experience of loss. We must learn to handle losses, and Jesus, in his words on the cross, can give us a clue about how to cope with our own experiences of the cross, our Good Friday, and thus prepare ourselves for the resurrection.
1. «My God, my God, why have you forsaken me» (Matthew, 27:46 and Mark 15:34). The scream is heartbreaking, devastating and shocking, coming from Jesus himself. But, it is also extremely human. It’s a cry of frustration: I can’t go on! It is a cathartic cry that, one way or another, helps us to let go. As we live our crosses it is necessary to know how to express ourselves, without repression. We have to be able to say without fear or remorse what we are suffering, at least to our own selves.
2. «Father, forgive them because they do not know what they are doing» (Luke 23:34). Every experience of loss is often accompanied by the assignment of guilt, either to others or to oneself. That is why, to be able to assume loss, we must embrace the experience of forgiveness. The absence of grudges is essential for the healing of wounds.
3. «I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise» (Luke 23:43). Often the experiences of loss are, at the time, meaningless and defeat any logical explication. But we should try to discover, even in a counter-intuitive way, the positive elements that such experience can trigger.
4. «Father, into your hands I commend my spirit» (Luke 23:46). In times of loss we must recognize that we cannot always be in control of situations or other people. Letting go, knowing that events are beyond us is a way to deal with losses in a healthy way. We have to learn how to let go.
5. «I thirst» (John 19:28). Asking for help is always a way to make our crosses more bearable, recognize our vulnerability and, thus, our obvious need for others. We are not heroes.
6. «Woman, here is your son ... here is your mother» (John 19: 26-27). One of the most difficult dimensions of a loss is to accept that people around us do not have to live our situation, and even though they may show empathy toward us, we should not drag others to our own crosses or our own pits of pain.
7. «It has been accomplished» (John 19:30). In moments of loss or mourning, sometimes as a consolation we find unhelpful expressions like "everything happens for a reason" or even worse, "God has His own plans” or “this is simply what He wanted." Although unfortunate, these expressions reveal the idea that often our crosses, the sufferings that invade us at a certain moment, are doors to new paths that without them we would never have explored. There is meaning, perhaps, in our suffering.
Let us examine these words of Jesus on the Cross; let all our experiences of loss, perhaps with the help of time, be positive, so that Good Friday we may not have the last word and we may reach the Resurrection.
