Fr. Chris - Good Friday - Homily

​“Remember To Sacrifice”
​As preached yesterday, the all embracing theme of the Triduum – the Last Supper, the Passion, the Vigil – could be called ‘remembrance’: remembering Christ, the youth inspiring the elders in the temple; Christ healing the lepers, feeding the thousands, raising Lazarus back to life; Christ who taught us to guide our lives with the beatitudes, and to pray to our Father in words he gave us; Christ who showed in the washing of his apostles’ feet how we, too, must offer ourselves in service.
 
Today, we remember his journey to Golgotha, remembering the sacrifice of his own life to wash away the sins of humanity, remembering his cross, and everything which it stands for in our daily lives as Christians. Do we make sacrifices in our lives, sacrifices to God and for each others? Or have we forgotten about it? Have we perhaps even lost the notion of what it means to make a sacrifice?
 
In the past few weeks, I have had the great pleasure of hearing the very first confessions of our First Holy Communion students. The comments and questions from these little souls are always entertaining, refreshingly real, and often inciteful. I told one parent I had probably learned more about our faith in the past ten minutes from her son than I had in years at the seminary.
 
After we finished his confession, one little lad said with his arms crossed, “This has been just great, Father! Do you think we could do this again?” After her confession, a little girl asked me, “Why did Jesus have to die on a cross? Couldn’t he have died a different way?” Certainly thought-provoking.
 
Another little fellow, jumping up and down after I gave him his absolution, said he had something very important to show me. It was a shiny, new chain with a shiny, little cross hanging round his neck. He was beside himself with excitement! I told him he was very lucky to have it, because it would let everyone know Jesus was his best friend. I said when we do the ‘Sign of the Cross’ it is actually a little prayer.
 
“Wow!” he said. “So, Father, I can pray all the time, now, right? Watch how fast I can do the Sign of the Cross,” as he crossed himself several times, delighted he could pray as often and as quickly as he wanted.
 
Truly, the most meaningful way we can remember Christ and his sacrifice for us, is by promising to ‘pray’ the Sign of the Cross every day, hopefully with the same enthusiasm as this little boy, as we rise from bed, eat our meals, start the car, head to work or school, while taking in the beauty of God’s creation all around us.       
 
– Rev Fr Christopher Tracey, Saint Joseph Parish, Saugeen Shores, Ontario