The Silence of the Cross: Good Friday

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

SSPP Bodija

As the Son of Mary hangs on the cross, suffering the throes of death, a great silence falls over the earth. Heaven watches. Creation waits. The Lord of Glory has been condemned like a common and notorious criminal.

This silence is not empty—it is full of meaning.

• It is the silence of betrayal.
• The silence of injustice.
• The silence of a world that has turned its back on its Savior.

For three years, Jesus walked among us with mercy and power—healing the sick, restoring the outcast, raising the dead, and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom. And yet, His reward is cruelty, mockery, and death on a cross. Those who once marveled at His miracles now jeer at His suffering. Those who listened to His words now call for His blood.

And still… He says nothing in His defense....

The Lord, in the face of unimaginable agony, utters no curse. He speaks no word of condemnation. Instead, from the cross, He whispers a prayer:

 

• This silence is not weakness—it is redemption.
• This silence is not defeat—it is divine victory.

In the silence of Calvary, the eternal Word of God speaks the loudest: Love wins.

And not just love for those who stood at the foot of the cross. His mercy extends to all—to the betrayer and the denier, the coward and the skeptic, the sinner and the saint. To you. To me. To the whole world.

The silence that followed Adam’s fall is now redeemed by the silence of the Lamb.

By His blood, the gates of Eden—once closed to humanity—are flung open. Paradise is restored. Death is swallowed up in life. The curse of sin is shattered by the wood of the cross.

So today, as the Church keeps watch at the foot of the cross, may we enter into that sacred silence—not with despair, but with awe. Let us weep for our sins, yes—but also rejoice in the Savior who bore them all and loved us to the very end.

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