Lenten Reflection Day 39 ~ Good Friday of Holy Week

Opening Prayers:

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, and Confiteor (see Day 1).

Scripture Reading (John 18:37-40):

“Pilate therefore said to him: Art thou a king then? Jesus answered: Thou sayest that I am a king. For this was I born, and for this came I into the world; that I should give testimony to the truth. Every one that is of the truth, heareth my voice. Pilate saith to him: What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and saith to them: I find no cause in him. But you have a custom that I should release one unto you at the Pasch: will you, therefore, that I release unto you the King of the Jews? Then cried they all again, saying: Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.”

Reflection:

Pilate’s haunting question – “What is truth?” – rings out in the Praetorium on this solemn day. Here we see the Roman governor face to face with Jesus, worldly power confronting divine truth. The irony is profound: Pilate is looking directly at Truth incarnate and yet cannot recognize Him. Jesus had already taught, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), and in His dialogue with Pilate He declares His mission to “bear witness to the truth”. Yet Pilate responds with cynicism or confusion, “What is truth?” – a question he does not stay to have answered. As St. Augustine observes, Pilate did not wait for Christ’s reply, perhaps because he feared the answer or was unworthy to hear it. In a tragic turn, the judge of Truth turns away from the very Answer standing before him. Pilate’s failure is not mere ignorance but a willful indifference; like many souls throughout history, he shrinks from the Light of Truth because it challenges the darkness around and within him (cf. John 3:19-20).

Even so, the meek majesty of Jesus leaves an impression. Our Lord speaks not in self-defense but to invite Pilate (and all of us) to a higher reality: “Every one that is of the truth hears My voice.” These words momentarily stirred Pilate – St. John Chrysostom notes that Christ’s testimony “persuaded [Pilate] to become a hearer”, prompting that fleeting inquiry about truth. But Pilate quickly recoils. The mystery he glimpsed in Jesus’ words unsettled him, and instead of embracing the Truth, he chose expediency. How often do we, too, echo Pilate’s skepticism in our lives – asking “What is truth?” while standing before the very Truth we claim to seek? As St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) incisively said, “Who seeks the truth seeks God, whether he knows it or not.” Yet Pilate, sadly, does not truly seek; he embodies the worldly mentality that truth is too difficult or dangerous to face.

The scene that follows is one of heart-wrenching injustice. Three times Pilate goes on record asserting Jesus’ innocence: “I find no cause (fault) in Him.” The Judge of Judea publicly acquits Jesus in words, yet condemns Him in deed. Pilate’s conscience knows the right course – even his wife sent a warning about Jesus’ righteousness (cf. Matt 27:19) – but the clamor of the crowd and the threat of political backlash prevail. In a display of moral cowardice, Pilate washes his hands as if to absolve himself, saying “I am innocent of this righteous man’s blood” (cf. Matt 27:24). But no outward washing can cleanse the stain of condemning the Innocent One. Truth is betrayed by cowardice and compromise. Pilate preferred to “satisfy the crowd” (Mark 15:15) rather than uphold justice and truth. He hands Jesus over to be scourged and crucified, thus joining the ranks of those who, as the liturgy says, “condemned the Just One and released the robber.” The mob chooses Barabbas – a murderer – over the living Truth, and Pilate capitulates to their irrational demand. It is the ultimate travesty of justice: the Sinless Lamb is slain while the guilty go free.

Yet in the mystery of God’s plan, this tragic injustice fulfills a greater truth. Jesus Christ is “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Like the Passover lamb, He is without blemish or fault, as even the pagan governor attests unwittingly: “no fault in Him.” In fact, “unless this were done, it would not be the true Passover,” says St. Augustine, for only by the sacrifice of the innocent Lamb could the true deliverance be accomplished. The prophet Isaiah foretold this paradox centuries prior: “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb led to the slaughter… by his stripes we are healed” (Isa 53:7, 5). Here stands Truth Himself, silent and loving, in the face of lies and hatred. Christ could have overpowered Pilate and the mob with a word; instead, He freely submits to unjust condemnation that God’s merciful truth might be revealed on the Cross. In Jesus, “Mercy and truth have met together; justice and peace have kissed” (Ps 85:10). The Truth is that God so loved the world He gave His only Son (John 3:16) – and on Good Friday, that Truth is made visible as Christ, the spotless victim, is lifted up for our salvation.

For us, this meditation is a call to adore Jesus Christ as the Truth and to examine our own hearts. Pilate’s question “What is truth?” need not remain unanswered for us. Truth is not an abstract idea but a Person – Our Lord Jesus. Do we embrace Him and all that He taught, or do we sometimes behave like Pilate – knowing the good, yet failing to act on it out of fear or convenience? The tragedy of Pilate is that he knew Jesus was innocent and “wished to release Him”, but lacked the courage to stand with Truth. Let us learn from his failure. Good Friday challenges us to stand unflinchingly by the Truth even when it costs, to reject the temptation to “wash our hands” of responsibility in the face of injustice or sin. The world today, much like that crowd, often pressures us to prefer Barabbas over Christ – to choose comfort, falsehood, or sin over truth and holiness. We must decide whom we will serve. Christ the Truth still reigns from the Cross; His silence before Pilate is God’s answer to the pride of this world – an answer spoken not in words but in sacrificial love.

Gazing upon our crucified Lord, we behold the Truth that conquers all lies: the truth of divine love, humility, and mercy. What is Truth? It is Jesus Christ Himself, innocent and yet condemned, dying to save His condemners. It is the sorrowful truth that our sins nailed Him to the Cross, and the glorious truth that He accepted the Cross willingly for our sake. On this holy day, the Church invites us to deep sorrow for sin and deep gratitude for the Truth that sets us free (John 8:32). Let us not turn away like Pilate, but rather humbly bow before Jesus, who “before Pontius Pilate bore witness to the truth” (1 Tim 6:13). In the face of such Love and such Truth, may our hearts respond: “Lord, you have the words of eternal life; we have believed, and have come to know, that You are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68-69).

On this most solemn day, let us resolve to honor Christ who is Truth in both word and deed. Practically, this means standing up for truth and justice even when it is hard. Is there some situation in our life where, like Pilate, we have been avoiding the truth out of fear or convenience? Resolve today to renounce any lies, compromises, or injustices you have been tolerating – whether in personal matters or in defending someone who is innocent. Speak the truth with love, rectify a wrong if possible, or make that honest confession you have been putting off. Also, spend time today in quiet prayer venerating the Holy Cross. Attend the Good Friday liturgy or meditate on the Passion (for example, pray the Stations of the Cross slowly). As you adore the Crucified Lord, tell Him that you choose Him as the Truth by which you will live and die. Let your actions reflect the faith that Jesus is indeed Lord and King, the Truth that never fails. By embracing even a small share of His cross through penance or acts of charity today, we unite ourselves to the Truth-in-love that Jesus demonstrates on Calvary. Never again “wash your hands” of responsibility, but rather, with God’s grace, bear witness that Christ is the Truth that sets us free.

Saintly Insight:

St. Alphonsus Liguori, in his Way of the Cross, reflects on the Lord’s trial with piercing clarity: “Consider how Jesus Christ, after being scourged and crowned with thorns, was unjustly condemned by Pilate to die on the Cross… My adorable Jesus, it was not Pilate; no, it was my sins that condemned You to die.”

St. Alphonsus reminds us that beyond the historical injustice, each of us must see our own guilt and need for mercy. Pilate, the soldiers, the shouting crowd – they represent all of humanity. We too have, by our sins, said “Crucify Him!” in our hearts. Yet Jesus willingly embraces the Passion out of love for us, to deliver us from our sins. This saintly insight calls us to true contrition and love: to weep over the injustice we have done to God by sin, and to rejoice in the Truth that His love is greater than our iniquity.

As St. Alphonsus prayed, so can we: “I love You, Jesus; I repent of ever having offended You. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.” In this spirit, Good Friday’s sorrow becomes a healing sorrow that opens us to Christ who is Truth and Mercy itself.

Closing Prayers:

V: O Lord, hear my prayer.

R: And let my cry come unto Thee.

V: Let us bless the Lord.

R: Thanks be to God.

V: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

R: Amen.