Good Friday 2025

Good Friday, April 18, 2025: A Reflection on the Passion (Year C)

Good Friday, observed on April 18, 2025, is the most solemn day in the Christian calendar, a day of fasting, penance, and deep reflection on the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. In the Catholic Church, the Good Friday liturgy is not a Mass but a service that invites the faithful to enter into the mystery of Christ’s Passion. The readings for Year C, as assigned in the Roman Missal, guide us through the suffering, sacrifice, and redemptive love of the cross. This reflection explores the liturgy, the readings, and significant relics associated with the Passion—particularly the Shroud of Turin, other Passion relics, and the sponge with vinegar—offering a detailed look at their historical and spiritual significance.

The Good Friday Liturgy and Readings (Year C)

The Good Friday Celebration of the Lord’s Passion, traditionally held at 3 p.m. (the hour of Christ’s death), consists of three parts: the Liturgy of the Word, the Adoration of the Cross, and the Communion Service. The altar is stripped bare, the tabernacle is empty, and the sanctuary lamp is extinguished, reflecting the desolation of Christ’s death.

• First Reading: Isaiah 52:13-53:12 (The Fourth Suffering Servant Song)
  This prophecy, written centuries before Christ, vividly describes the Suffering Servant: “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief… He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace” (Isaiah 53:3, 5). The passage foreshadows Christ’s Passion, emphasizing His voluntary suffering and redemptive sacrifice. It sets a tone of sorrow but also hope, pointing to the salvation His suffering achieves.
• Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-17, 25
  The psalm echoes the anguish of the crucified Christ: “Into your hands I commend my spirit” (Psalm 31:6), words Jesus Himself utters on the cross (Luke 23:46). The psalmist’s cry—“I have become like a broken vessel… For my life is spent with sorrow” (Psalm 31:12-13)—mirrors Jesus’s abandonment, yet ends with trust: “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord” (Psalm 31:25).
• Second Reading: Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
  The Letter to the Hebrews presents Jesus as the great high priest who “in the days of his flesh… offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears… and he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him” (Hebrews 5:7-9). This reading highlights Christ’s humanity—His suffering and obedience—and His role as mediator, bridging humanity and God through His sacrifice.
• Passion Reading: John 18:1-19:42
  John’s Passion narrative is read, often with parts assigned to a narrator, the priest (Christ’s words), and the congregation (the crowd). It begins with Jesus’s arrest in Gethsemane, moves through His trials before Annas, Caiaphas, and Pilate, and culminates in His crucifixion and death. Key moments include Pilate’s declaration, “Behold the man” (John 19:5), the soldiers’ mocking with a crown of thorns, and Jesus’s final words, “It is finished” (John 19:30), before He bows His head and gives up His spirit. The reading ends with Jesus’s burial, emphasizing His complete self-emptying for our salvation.
• Solemn Intercessions and Adoration of the Cross:
  After the readings, the priest leads the Solemn Intercessions, praying for the Church, the world, and those in need. Then, a large cross is unveiled in three stages, with the priest chanting, “Behold the wood of the Cross, on which hung the salvation of the world,” and the congregation responding, “Come, let us adore.” The faithful venerate the cross by kissing or touching it, often while hymns like Crux Fidelis are sung. The Communion Service follows, using hosts consecrated on Holy Thursday, after which the church is left in silence.

Reflection on Good Friday

Good Friday is a day of raw, unfiltered sorrow. The readings paint a vivid picture of Christ’s suffering—Isaiah’s Suffering Servant, the psalmist’s cry of abandonment, Hebrews’ depiction of Jesus’s anguish, and John’s detailed Passion narrative. As I listen to John 19, I’m struck by the brutality of the crucifixion: the scourging, the crown of thorns, the nails, the spear. Yet, amid the horror, there’s a profound love. Jesus endures this for me—for all of us. “He was pierced for our transgressions,” Isaiah says, and I can’t help but feel the weight of my own sins. How often have I added to His wounds through my selfishness, my indifference, my failures to love?

But Good Friday isn’t just about guilt—it’s about redemption. Jesus’s final words, “It is finished,” aren’t a cry of defeat but of victory. He has accomplished the Father’s will, paid the price for our sins, and opened the way to eternal life. The cross, an instrument of torture, becomes the tree of life. As I venerate the cross during the liturgy, I’m reminded of Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” Good Friday calls me to die to myself—my pride, my fears, my attachments—and to let Christ live in me through love and sacrifice.

The Shroud of Turin: A Relic of the Passion

The Shroud of Turin, often called the “fifth Gospel” by its devotees, is one of the most studied and controversial relics associated with Christ’s Passion. This 14-foot-long linen cloth, housed in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin, Italy, bears the faint image of a crucified man, with wounds consistent with the Gospel accounts of Jesus’s crucifixion. The image shows a man with marks of scourging, a crown of thorns, nail wounds in the wrists and feet, and a spear wound in the side—details that align with John 19:1, 18, and 34.

• Historical Context: The Shroud’s documented history begins in the 14th century in Lirey, France, though some claim it can be traced to earlier centuries via the “Mandylion” of Edessa, a cloth with Christ’s image venerated in the early Church. It was transferred to Turin in 1578 by the House of Savoy.
• Scientific Analysis: The Shroud has been extensively studied, particularly since the 20th century. The 1978 Shroud of Turin Research Project (STURP) concluded that the image isn’t a painting but a superficial burn-like mark, possibly caused by a burst of energy (e.g., radiation at the moment of resurrection). Pollen grains on the cloth match flora from Jerusalem, and bloodstains (type AB) contain human DNA. However, a 1988 carbon-14 dating placed the cloth between 1260 and 1390, leading some to call it a medieval forgery. Critics of the dating argue the sample came from a repaired section, and more recent studies, like a 2019 X-ray analysis, suggest the cloth could date to the 1st century.
• Spiritual Significance: Regardless of its authenticity, the Shroud is a powerful devotional tool. Pope John Paul II called it “a mirror of the Gospel” (1998), and Pope Francis described it as an “icon of a love that has no limits” (2015). For many, it’s a tangible connection to Christ’s suffering, making the events of Good Friday feel viscerally real.

Other Relics of the Passion

Several relics associated with Christ’s Passion are venerated in the Catholic tradition, each offering a physical link to the events of Good Friday:

• The True Cross: Fragments of the cross on which Jesus was crucified are venerated worldwide. Tradition holds that St. Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, discovered the True Cross in Jerusalem in 326 AD. Pieces are kept in Rome’s Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem and other churches. The Titulus Crucis, a wooden plaque inscribed with “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” (John 19:19), is also preserved in Rome.
• The Crown of Thorns: Housed in Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris until the 2019 fire (now in a secure location), this relic consists of a circlet of thorns, believed to be the crown placed on Jesus’s head (John 19:2). It was acquired by King Louis IX in 1239 from Constantinople.
• The Holy Nails: Several churches claim to possess nails from the crucifixion, including the Basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme in Rome. Their authenticity is debated, but they remain objects of devotion.
• The Holy Lance (Spear of Longinus): The spear that pierced Jesus’s side (John 19:34) is claimed to be in several locations, including the Hofburg Palace in Vienna and St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The Vatican’s lance is venerated as a relic, though its provenance is uncertain.
• The Sudarium of Oviedo: A bloodstained cloth in Oviedo, Spain, is believed to be the face cloth used to cover Jesus’s face after His death (John 20:7). Its blood type and pollen match the Shroud of Turin, suggesting a connection.

These relics, while their authenticity is often debated, serve as focal points for meditation on Christ’s Passion, drawing the faithful closer to the reality of His suffering.

The Sponge with Vinegar: A Detail of the Crucifixion

The sponge with vinegar is a poignant detail in the Passion narrative, mentioned in all four Gospels (Matthew 27:48, Mark 15:36, Luke 23:36, John 19:29-30). As Jesus hangs on the cross, nearing death, He says, “I thirst” (John 19:28). The soldiers, mocking Him, dip a sponge in vinegar (or sour wine, a common drink called posca), place it on a hyssop branch, and lift it to His lips. John notes, “When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (John 19:30).

• Historical Context: Posca was a cheap, vinegar-like wine mixed with water, often given to Roman soldiers and laborers. It was sour and unpalatable, not a gesture of mercy but of mockery, fulfilling Psalm 69:21: “For my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.” Hyssop, a plant used in Jewish purification rituals (Exodus 12:22), is symbolically significant—its use here points to Jesus as the true Passover Lamb, whose sacrifice purifies humanity.
• Relic Tradition: A relic believed to be the sponge is venerated in the Basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme in Rome, alongside fragments of the True Cross and a nail. Its authenticity is uncertain, but it has been an object of devotion since the early Church.
• Spiritual Significance: The sponge with vinegar underscores the depth of Christ’s humiliation. Even in His agony, He is mocked, given sour wine instead of water. Yet, in this moment, Jesus fulfills Scripture and completes His mission—“It is finished.” The vinegar becomes a symbol of the bitterness of sin, which Christ takes upon Himself to offer us the sweetness of salvation. As St. Augustine wrote, “He tasted the vinegar of our sins so that we might drink the wine of His love” (Sermon 218).

Tying It All Together: The Cross as Our Salvation

Good Friday, April 18, 2025, is a day to stand at the foot of the cross, to gaze on the crucified Christ and see the cost of our redemption. The readings—Isaiah’s Suffering Servant, the psalmist’s trust, Hebrews’ high priest, and John’s Passion—reveal a love that endures the worst of human cruelty to bring us eternal life. The Shroud of Turin and other Passion relics, like the sponge with vinegar, make this love tangible, reminding us that the cross was real, the blood was real, the suffering was real.

As I reflect on the sponge with vinegar, I’m struck by the contrast between Christ’s thirst and the mockery He receives. I thirst too—for love, for meaning, for God—but how often do I offer others the “vinegar” of indifference or judgment? Good Friday calls me to repent, to offer water instead of vinegar, to love as Christ loves. The cross, unveiled in the liturgy, isn’t just a symbol of death but of victory. As St. John Chrysostom wrote, “The cross was a throne, and when Christ ascended it, He reigned” (Homily on the Cross). On this sacred day, we’re invited to kneel before that throne, to adore the wood of the cross, and to let Christ’s love transform our hearts.

Sources:

• Roman Missal, Third Edition. 2011.
• Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC). 1992.
• Shroud of Turin Research Project (STURP). 1978.
• Wilson, Ian. The Shroud of Turin: The Burial Cloth of Jesus Christ? 1978.
• Pope John Paul II, Address on the Shroud of Turin. 1998.
• St. Augustine, Sermon 218. c. 400 AD.
• St. John Chrysostom, Homily on the Cross. c. 390 AD.
• Bible (RSV): Isaiah 52:13-53:12, John 18:1-19:42, etc.