Good Friday

How much and how many times our eyes rested on a simple cross or a crucifix, in this distracted world, superactive, superficial?

How many times entering a church or passing in front of religious shrines on street corners, on country lanes or mountain, or placing it in the neck is out of devotion, both for fashion, our eyes have seen the Cross, how many times since Children we have marked with the sign of the cross, reciting a prayer or looking at the crucifix hanging on the wall of our bedroom, so starting and ending our day.
The Cross symbolizes Christianity, present in our lives from birth, signs of the rite of Baptism, the Sacrament of Penance nell'assoluzione, blessings and dates in our every act devotional and sacramental until the last mark made by the priest in the Sacrament of the Sick, the processional cross before the funeral and in the cross of marble or other material, resting on the grave.
So present in our lives and yet so often ignored and looked at us without saying anything, with a casual eye and used, yet the cross is the supreme symbol of suffering and death of Jesus, true God and true man, who by His sacrifice has rescued us from death of sin, showing us the true life that passes through suffering.

Jesus Himself with His parables taught that the seed is buried, it rots and dies, to give new life to the plant that he will be born.

Throughout human history and the Historical Jesus, "The Passion" which culminated in the Good Friday, always designate all the sad events that struck him to death on the cross. And this group of progressive and painful acts became known as "Via Crucis" (extra-liturgical practice, introduced to Europe by Dominican Blessed Alvaro, († 1402), and after him by the Franciscan Friars Minor), that the Catholic Church, recalls every temple with the 14 'Stations' and checks attached to the walls or along the ridges of the hills where there are shrines of pilgrimage, with shrines, chapels and statuary groups that invite meditation and penance in each of these' Stations 'are depicted with various artistic expressions, painful moments of the "Via Crucis" and Passion of Jesus; expression of high symbolism and art, for example, are like those of the Sacred Mountain of Varallo and Varese, and the famous Breton Calvaries.

The "Passion" of Jesus began after the Last Supper with the Apostles kept, where He gave mankind the greatest gift you could: himself in the sacrament of the Eucharist, also the establishment of the Christian Priesthood, and the great lesson of humility and love towards the neighbor with the washing of the feet of the Twelve Apostles.

The Gospels recount the events fairly accurately and consistently, in the spring of the year 30, Jesus descends with his disciples from Galilee to Jerusalem during Passover, the annual "memorial" of the miraculous deliverance of the people from jew ' Egypt.

Here he held the Last Supper, which was in fact replaced the old "memorial" with the new, to be renewed in time until his return: "This is my body which is given for you", "This cup is the new covenant in my blood which is shed for you "," Do this in remembrance of me. "

In the "redemption from sin" is to be sought in good part, the sense of 'Passion' of Christ and the Gospel accounts of this deal, the sequence of events that followed the Last Supper, remember that Jesus himself foretold what would happen to his disciples three times, preparing them to its destiny of suffering and glory, in particular the third time (Luke 18, 31-33).

But his sacrifice, is presented in the Gospels as the implementation of the prophets, in the scriptures and point to a great truth, delivering mild and benevolent in the hands of men who will do what he want, s' "Lamb of God "took upon himself and has 'taken away' the sin of the world (John 1.29).
For this we note that in the Gospel story of the Passion, each act is presented as evil, unjust and cruel, even for all who work against Jesus are evil sinners or rather, as an impressive series of men's sins against Him

It is necessary for evil and sin against Jesus is unleashed, leading to death and giving the feeling of having won the Good, by His Resurrection until the end you will see that the final victory over evil, is his.

The 'Passion' takes place with a dramatic sequence of images, first of all, the betrayal of Judas, who sells it and denounce it placed a kiss in the garden beyond the brook Cedron, where he had retired with his disciples to pray , and where Jesus had a vision for the next agonizing end, sweating blood and to the point of asking the Father to pass, if possible, this bitter cup of suffering, but at the same time he agreed to do His will.

Following the arrest the night by soldiers and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, Jesus suffered the interrogation of Anna, a former high priest and father of the powerful high priest Caiaphas, then the judgment of the Jewish Sanhedrin, headed by Caiaphas, who makes an accusation at all costs to allow his sentence to death, but the current law in Jerusalem, could not be implemented by the Jewish authorities.

At the same time the concrete triple denial of his first disciple Peter, then Jesus is led by the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, accused of being proclaimed King of the Jews, thus committing a crime of treason to the emperor.

In comparison with Pilate, Jesus affirms his Kingship, although not sees any fault in him, clinging to power, the governor guilty of cowardice, they do not make a decision to Pilate, who according to the Gospel of Luke (23, 6) not wanting to rule, he sends him to King Herod, present in those days in Jerusalem, which after a futile questioning and instigated by the chief priests and scribes, the insulting taunts, then covered in a rich cloak sends it back to Pilate.

Again Pilate asks the people hesitant to blame this man has, because he finds none, to the cries of condemnation does scourged, thinking that it will calm down, but they shouted louder and louder to crucify him, Pilate according to local customs , being able to release a prisoner at the Passover, he asked the people if they wanted to choose between Jesus and a rebel prisoner named Barabbas, who had many deaths on his conscience, but also the people in this choice is expressed shouting in favor of Barabbas.

Not being able to do anything else, the governor symbolically washed his hands and condemned Jesus to death by crucifixion, death penalty as practiced in that era and gave it to the soldiers.
The soldiers with fierce cunning, put it on Jesus' head, mockingly, a crown of sharp thorns and loaded on his shoulders, already torn by excruciating scourging, the "patibulum", moving towards the hill of Golgotha, or Calvary, the place of execution .

The "Via Crucis" of Jesus has some meetings not all reported unanimously by the four evangelists, such as meeting with Simon of Cyrene, forced by soldiers to carry Jesus' cross or burden-sharing; the meeting with the women of Jerusalem he says with such apocalyptic tones to cry about themselves, the meeting with Veronica, falls o'er the hill.

Once on the summit of Calvary, was stripped of his garments by the soldiers, who were drawn by lot from among the soldiers themselves, then crucified on the cross with nails, horrible torture and cruel, that leads Jesus to death after a few hours, always between insults and offenses at the end rather than break his legs to hasten death by suffocation, being already dead, a centurion's spear pierce his side to be sure.

There is still a number of incidents that occur before and after his death, as the suicide of Judas, the exchange of words with the two thieves crucified on that occasion too, the gash of the Veil of the Temple of Jerusalem The earthquake, the upheaval of the elements, the presence at the foot of the Cross of Mary His mother, Mary of Magdala (Mary Magdalene), Mary of Cleophas, the mother of James the Less and Joseph, Salome, mother of the sons of Zebedee, and by John, the youngest of the apostles, the mutual trust between Mary and John, his last words before dying.

The 'Passion' ends, after the deposition rushed to the approach of the holidays on Saturday, with the burial of his mortal body in a tomb by Joseph of Arimathea on, he became his disciple, wrapped in a shroud and sprinkled oils and aromas usual, then the rock-cut tomb, was closed by a large stone.
In this context the final fits to the existence and veneration for the Holy Shroud, preserved in Turin Cathedral, proof of hardship and cruel method of crucifixion suffered by Jesus.

Given the limited space available, it is bound to be pretty quick to describe the 'Passion of Our Lord', but this historic event, you can meditate extensively, participating in the rites of Holy Week, which for centuries the Catholic Church and other Churches Christians celebrate.

We add only that Jesus wanted to suffering and death, taking upon himself the sufferings and pains of all kinds of humanity, as a "drives out another", while indicating that suffering is a necessary evil, because writing in the history of every single man, as is the death of the body, as a consequence of sin, but it can be turned into a light of hope, sharing the suffering of our brothers, who share with us, each in its short or long earthly life, the journey towards the heavenly homeland.

This concept was in pain and enhancement of the Christian millennia, well understood and assimilated by many mystical souls, to the point to want nothing more than sharing the pain of 'Passion'; obtained by Christ to bring in their body, and tormented by the visible signs of both pain, as well as for many there was the sacrifice of their lives, following the example of the Redeemer, to affirm their faith in Him and His teachings.

So here is the vast array of martyrs from the early days after the death of Jesus and to this day, they suffered and died violently, in ways perhaps more harrowing crucifixion, such as being torn apart alive by wild beasts, burned alive at the stake, torn to pieces by the savages in the Missions, skinned alive, etc..

Then referring to when he first mentioned the signs of the 'Passion' on your body, just to name a few: The Stigmata of s. Francis of Assisi, of St.. Pio of Pietrelcina, the plug in front of s. Rita of Cascia, etc..

The sad and painful story of the 'Passion', has always inspired popular piety to participate in Good Friday rites, with expressions of great charm and penitence, with processions of 'Mysteries', large and small representations, with statues for the more than cardboard, the various episodes of 'Via Crucis', in particular the meeting of Jesus carrying the cross with his mother and the pious women, or with Jesus dead, carried to the tomb, followed dall'effige of the Virgin of Sorrows.
In all churches, from the Colosseum with the pope, there are the 'Via Crucis', even in the streets of countries and districts of the city, in some cases through centuries of tradition they are carried out by faithful period costumes and come up with a mock crucifixion, in other cases for centuries held the penitential processions of hooded fraternities with people or not, who flagellate themselves with sharp objects or sting, and so continue the bloody penitential procession, as in the famous penance Sanframondi Guard.

It would take a book to describe them all, but you can not forget to mention the baroque rituals of Good Friday in Seville.

At the 'Passion' of Jesus is associated with the image of the Virgin of Sorrows, that the greatest artists have represented together with the Crucifixion, at the foot of the Cross, or Christ lying in his arms after the deposition, such as the famous 'Pieta' of Michelangelo, the 'Lamentation' by Giotto, the 'Crucifixion' by Masaccio, to name a few.

The subject of 'Passion', continued to be well represented with modern technologies, such as using capable actors, natural scenery and dramatic expressions of pain, has led to a wider national and international public the whole earthly life of Jesus

It is especially the case of film, with lots of great emotional value movies, like "The Gospel According to St. Matthew" by Pier Paolo Pasolini, the "Jesus of Nazareth" by Franco Zeffirelli, the set of those colossal and historical, as "The King of King, "" The Robe ", etc.. until the last grand for its drama "The Passion of Christ" by Mel Gibson.

Also present today in every television home, has revived an even wider audience in television production and the many movies with this subject, that economic issues and the crisis of the cinema, would no longer be seen.

Friday is the day of the Cross, symbol of this is to help Christians and others, whilst taking away from this religion, which in many ways has at its heart the pain and suffering, although accepted and transfigured, and you know No one likes to suffer and everyone wants to strive for happiness without first suffering.