That first Good Friday, on Calvary, is not over. It still continues today.
We could say that in many parts of the world, today is still Good Friday. Many disciples of Jesus are giving their lives for their faith. Their martyrdom is a great lesson for all of us who live without obstacles, in a condition of peace and freedom. We should be aware of this.
Martyrdom, powerfully witnessed by the new martyrs, challenges us. Let me share something personal with you: I wear this pectoral cross, which belonged to Monsignor Oscar Romero, who was killed in 1980 while celebrating the Eucharist. They wanted to silence him because he defended the poor. Instead, his voice has continued to speak to us.
I would like to summarise the path of so many witnesses of the faith with a very brief homily he gave before the coffin of one of his priests, murdered by death squads. Romero said:
"The Second Vatican Council — we could say the Gospel itself — asks all Christians to be martyrs, that is, to give their lives for others. Some are asked to shed their blood, as this priest did. But all, in different ways, are asked to offer their lives."
This is true for many martyrs today: in the Middle East, in Africa, in Asia, but also in Europe. Christianity has at its heart the dimension of martyrdom, namely, life given, spent for others.
The true Christian witness is to live for others. It concerns every one of us. Martyrdom is not just the shedding of blood, it is a way of life, an antidote to individualism. Even in Christianity, a dangerous mentality can sometimes emerge: the idea of living only for oneself. It is a virus that has weakened the faith and life of many.
However, this is not the logic of the Gospel, it is the ‘Gospel of the world’. At the foot of the cross, people passing by said to Jesus: ‘Save yourself!' 'Come down now from the cross that we may see and believe’ This is not the way of the Gospel.
‘Love one another as I have loved you’ — that is, to the point of giving one's life. Only in this way, as the Gospel says, will we be recognised as disciples of the Lord.
Dear friends, today, on Good Friday, let us rediscover the heart of Christian faith, which is the very heart of God. So much did God love the world that he gave his Son: Jesus left heaven and came to earth. In Bethlehem, he found no room, and was born in a manger. As a child, he was threatened with death and became a refugee. He returned to his homeland and spent his whole life for others. Eventually, he was crucified.
This is the example of the true disciple of Jesus: to follow the Lord means to give one's life for others, as Saint Pio of Pietrelcina did. It is a call for all of us, whenever we live the Gospel.
The stigmata of Christ are indeed this: a commitment to spend your life not for yourself, but for others.
Today we are all gathered by the cross. This means being with Jesus. It also means desiring a different world: a world free from war, violence, injustice and loneliness.
The Gospel of Jesus asks us to give our lives for others. We will find our life in this way, and we will find it in abundance.
