Good Friday
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Jesus asked St. Faustyna to begin a Novena to the Divine Mercy on Good Friday and concluding on the first Sunday after Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday. The novena consists of a prayer for each day which we will incorporate into the fifth decade of our Rosary Mediations and then immediately following the Rosary we will pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet.
One
Good Friday
By his death and Resurrection Jesus saved the world. But have you ever wondered why God waited so long after humanity fell to send the Savior? Well, we thought we could do it on our own. Let’s see how that worked out.
After twenty generations of man making a mess out to the world by his pride, hatred, and bloodshed resulting in a catastrophic flood and the division and isolation of the nations, God calls Abraham, who had a son, Isaac. Isaac and Rebekah have Jacob. Jacob then had twelve sons through four different women. Not a good idea. Ten of those sons conspire to kill the youngest, Joseph, which ends with Joseph in Egypt. Genesis ends with all twelve Tribes in Egypt. When the book of Exodus opens we find that Israel has been enslaved for four hundred years. For we are enslaved to self-destructive tendencies, and we won’t admit it.
Through Moses God set Israel free. Joshua takes them into the Promised Land, and through the time of the Judges, they win and build the Promised Land. In 1000 BC David receives the promise of an Everlasting Kingdom. But Solomon, his son, the Most Intelligent man who ever lived, was addicted to Pride, Power, Greed, and Lust: seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. And Solomon burned his own sons to the demon Molech. And so begins the self-destruction of Israel.
His son Rehoboam causes a civil war in Israel. A house divided cannot stand. In 722 BC, the ten northern tribes were conquered by the Assyrians and lost forever. In 586 BC, the two southern tribes were exiled to Babylon (modern-day Iraq). The Temple is destroyed, the Ark of the Covenant lost forever. And the Kingdom of Israel ends.
Two
70 years later (515 BC) the Jews returned from Exile (now there is only two tribes of Israel, not 12) and they rebuild the Temple. But they have no King and there is no Ark, no presence of God in the Temple.
In 167 BC, a Syrian Mad-man named Atiochus Epiphanes conquered Israel and outlawed the Jewish religion. In 164 BC, the Maccabees win their religious freedom. But the Maccabees turn on one another and destroy themselves through a lust for power by plotting, intrigues, murder, and assassinations.
Finally, in 67 BC, the death of Alexandra Salome plunged Judea into a civil war between her two sons, Hyrcanus and Aris-tobulus.
Things were so out of control in Palestine that Rome intervened in 63 BC. The Roman General Pompey entered Jerusalem and the Temple and the Holy of Holies and what did he find? NOTHING! It was empty, just like they were empty!
That is how the Old Testament ends, not with the Chosen People saving themselves and building a glorious kingdom, but with the Jews killing each other in a bloody civil war. Now the Kingdom is lost. the Ark of the Covenant is lost. And the Temple is empty.
They ruined it all. They’ve hit rock bottom
Three
Well, maybe the Gentiles fared better?
Rome was the most civilized and virtuous of the Gentile Kingdoms. But Rome was constantly at war from without, against the Greeks, Parthians, and Carthage. And from within, constant civil war between competing Generals.
Pompey came back from Jerusalem to wage a war against Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar was assassinated on March 15, 44 BC. However, he had named Octavian to be his successor; even though Mark Antony was Julius Caesar’s top General. They fought each other until 30 BC. When trapped, both Mark Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide.
Octavian, who became Caesar Augustus did not bring peace to Rome and the world. Everyone was just utterly exhausted from fighting. Look at Humanity by the end of the First Century BC, Jew and Gentile: nothing but a lust for power, wealth, pleasure, fighting, killing, intrigue, deceit, seduction, adultery, assassination…until the whole world hits rock bottom.
Why does God wait so long to come?
Because in our pride and self-reliance, we thought we had everything under control. We thought we could save ourselves, so we were not ready to receive the saving help of God. We had to learn for ourselves that we were powerless over our sin and self-destructive tendencies and our lives had become totally unmanageable. We could not save ourselves and restore the world to peace.
Four
When humanity hit Rock Bottom – God sent John the Baptist
He invites the whole world (Pharisees, prostitutes and tax collectors, common people, and even Roman Soldiers) out to the place where the Jordan River enters the Dead Sea, literally the lowest place on the planet. And he says to them, “Welcome to the Bottom so that we could finally admit we are powerless over our addiction to sin and that we can’t save ourselves and we need Someone who can. Then he points out the One who can save us when he turns and sees Jesus and says, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”
Jesus is the only one who can save us, heal us, raise us up and restore us to happiness, sanity, and peace.
We Christians are no different from the Jews and Romans. We fall into the same trap of self-reliance. We say to ourselves, “Oh no, I could never spend time in prayer, and I can’t go to Mass or confession just now – because I’m such a mess. I need to get myself together, become a better person, and then God will accept me, love me. Then I can do those religious things.”
But don’t you see? On your own, you can’t carry yourself where you want to go. You can’t save, heal, or fix yourself. You can’t make yourself like God. Stop the B.S. It’s time to turn to Jesus and say, “Lord, my life is totally out of control. And if it’s left in my hands alone, I will destroy myself. I need you Lord to take total control of my life now. That is why we need to stop the busyness of trying to save ourselves, sit down and shut up, listen to God in prayer, and go receive him in the Eucharist and be a man and take responsibility for our sins in Confession.
And that is why we begin the Novena to Divine Mercy today – Good Friday – so that on Divine Mercy Sunday we can say, Jesus, I surrender to You. Jesus, I trust in You.
Five
Jesus instructed St. Faustina to begin a Novena to His Mercy on Good Friday. He said to her, “I desire that during these nine days you bring souls to the fountain of My mercy, that they may draw therefrom strength and refreshment and whatever grace they need in the hardships of life, and especially at the hour of death.
“On each day you will bring to My Heart a different group of souls, and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy, and I will bring all these souls into the house of My Father. You will do this in this life and in the next. I will deny nothing to any soul whom you will bring to the fount of My mercy. On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My bitter Passion, for graces for these souls.”
Faustina answered, “Jesus, I do not know how to make this novena or which souls to bring first into Your Most Compassionate heart.”
Jesus replied that He would tell her which souls to bring each day into His Heart.
First Day, “Today, bring to Me all mankind, especially all sinners, and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. In this way you will console Me in the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges Me.”
Most Merciful Jesus, whose very nature it is to have compassion on us and to forgive us, do not look upon our sins but upon our trust which (58) we place in Your infinite goodness. Receive us all into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart, and never let us escape from it. We beg this of You by Your love which unites You to the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Oh omnipotence of Divine Mercy, Salvation of sinful people, You are a sea of mercy and compassion; You aid those who entreat You with humility.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Compassionate heart of Jesus. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, show us Your mercy, that we may praise the omnipotence of Your mercy forever and ever. Amen.
Divine Mercy Chaplet
“I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into Heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.
Amen.”
Our Father
“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen.”
Hail Mary
“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”
On the Our Father beads pray:
“Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.”
On the Hail Mary beads, you will pray:
“For the sake of His sorrowful Passion have mercy on us and on the whole world.”
In conclusion, three times you will recite these words:
“Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”