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“BEHOLD THE MAN”: QUIAPO CHURCH COMMEMORATES THE GOOD FRIDAY OF THE PASSION AND DEATH OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

Nov. 30, 2024 04:47 PM

The Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion on March 29, 2024, was led by Rev. Fr. Jonathan Mojica, parochial vicar with the Basilica-Shrine rector and parish priest, Rev. Fr. Rufino C. Sescon Jr. with the rest of the parochial vicars, Rev. Fr. Robert Arellano, LMRS, Rev. Fr. Jesús Madrid Jr. and other priests. There were no songs, no grand procession, and not even the people will stand. The presiding priest and the accompanying priests walked quietly to the front of the altar, and there they prostrated themselves. All the people knelt and prayed quietly.

The day of Good Friday is for commemorating the Lord’s suffering, His self-sacrifice for all of humanity, and the veneration of the Holy Cross. After the prayer, the Word of God was proclaimed. In the first reading, it contained the songs of the suffering servant of the Lord pointing to Christ. According to the second reading, Christ had fulfilled his priesthood in his death, offering Himself like the offering of a lamb, to reconcile God and humanity and to save humanity from sin. The Good News narrates the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ from the night he was arrested in the garden, to his crucifixion and death on the cross, and until he was laid in his tomb.

Rev. Fr. Mojica delivered his homily with the words “Behold the Man!” In his reflection, Fr. Mojica emphasized the aspect of our humanity that Jesus experienced, because he was truly human as well. When Pilate had presented Jesus to the people, he was full of wounds, bruises, and was hardly recognizable. Fr. Mojica related that, sometimes, we are like that as humans: our hearts are wounded, our minds are battered, and we can hardly recognize ourselves. He added, “Despite all this, we approach the Lord to heal our wounds.” God understands our wounds and we are accompanied by the wounded Jesus.

Fr. Mojica also reminded us that our physical appearance as humans will fade and disappear, which is how he related in his homily when Pilate uttered the words “Behold the man!”. Pilate did not only want to show the wounded Jesus, but also the example of Jesus’ obedience to the Father. “The example of Jesus’ obedience will be the path to our salvation, which is why Jesus teaches us to be true humans who know how to follow God.”

At the end of his Homily, Fr. Jonathan reminded the face of a true devotee, strives to follow Jesus.

After the Homily, the General Intercessions were held, where the offering of Christ’s life was for the benefit of all, thus ten prayers were offered for everyone – the Church, the Pope, the Bishop, the Clergy, and all the members of the Church, those preparing for Baptism, the unity of all Christians, the Jews, non-Christians, those who do not believe in God, those in government, and those with special needs.

The general prayer was followed by the Adoration of the Holy Cross. In this place, as an act of reverence, the priests, the servants, and the congregation knelt before the cross and honored it one by one by kissing it. Due to the large number of people who wished to pay homage to the Cross, it was temporarily halted until the celebration was over. After, the Holy Communion was held in participation in taking the broken body of Christ. When the Holy Communion was finished, the Santo Entierro (Christ in lying state) was quietly brought out for the procession around the vicinity and nearby areas around Quiapo Church along with the clergy, servants, and the faithful. While the procession was ongoing, the Adoration of the Cross continued inside the shrine.

– Originally written in Tagalog by Mr. John Darrel J. Medina