โIt is finished.โ
These words spoken by Jesus
bridge back to the opening words of John 13,
the beginning of the Book of Glory.
โJesus loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.โ
This โend,โ this loving, is now attained in the moment of death.
He is completely spent, poured out on our behalf.
โIt is finished.โ
As the Letter to the Hebrews teaches,
Jesus is the great high priest
who offers himself, once for all.
So, to say โit is finishedโ is to acknowledge
that his handing over of himself for us
shines forth in the great mystery of the Cross.
The Cross of Jesus replaces all other acts of worship
as the one, true glorification of God.
All other acts of worship pale in comparison.
โIt is finished.โ
The Roman centurion makes a profound confession of faith:
โTruly this man was the Son of God.โ
With that, the Church of the Gentiles comes into being –
through the suffering Son, they recognize the true God.
This confession of faith shows us the paradox of faith
that occurs sometimes.
John chapter one reads, โHe came to what was his own,
and his own people did not accept him.โ (John 1.11)
To those who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God.
In Jesusโ view all works and words of his life could now end.
For all will be continued in the community of the Beloved Disciple,
the community of faith that is founded
from the life-giving water and blood that flow from his side.
We who are the community of the Beloved Disciple
can be comforted by the words of Jesus at the Last Supper:
โAmen, I tell you, the one who believes in me
will do these works and greater works than these
because I am going to the Fatherโฆ
If you ask anything in my name I will do it.โ
โIt is finished.โ
But for the men and, women, and children
who find themselves on the edge of our society,
no, it’s not finished.
Of their suffering there appears to be no end.
We have been called here at this most sacred hour
to hear once again the saving words of the Gospel.
We are called to testify in word and deed,
that the work of the Gospel is not finished.
It is not finished until there is justice for people
who have a different skin color or a different sexual orientation.
It is not finished until women are full partners
in our Church and in our world.
It is not finished until those who hunger and thirst
for regular nourishment and clean water have been satisfied.
It is not finished until we no longer hold men and women on death row
or kill them silently with sophisticated technology
so that we donโt have to acknowledge their humanity.
It is not finished until we acknowledge our deep spiritual hunger
for what it is and no longer try to satisfy it with material goods;
until we understand that we have to empty ourselves as Jesus did.
It is not finished until our nation
has come to a different relationship with weapons of destruction,
and a bias toward the use of violence as an ultimate solution.
It is not finished for many of us here today:
those who suffer continuous physical pain;
or grieve the loss of a son, daughter or spouse;
or those who are in a marriage that no longer works;
or those who are stymied by regret at how their life has unfolded;
or those who no longer know what their lives mean.
Jesus says โit is finishedโ
because he trusts that the community of the Beloved Disciple
will be nourished and live from the water and blood from his side,
that this community will live out of and through the gifts of the Spirit.
As far as our discipleship is concerned
until we complete our work in that Spirit,
it will never be finished.
Abbot John Klassen, OSB
Good Friday,ย April 6th, 2012
Saint John’s Abbey, Collegeville
Please leave a reply.