Homily For Good Friday – Year - A
Good Friday – Year - A
Kenosis - The Self-Emptying Love of Christ
Is 52:13 - 53:12 Heb 4:14 - 16; 5:7 – 9 Jn 18:1 –19:42
My dear brothers and
sisters in Christ Jesus,
On this solemn and sacred
day, we gather at the foot of the Cross with Mary as one family. We come not
only to mourn, but to witness the profound mystery of God’s love: a love so
great that it empties itself completely. This is kenosis - the
self-emptying love of Christ.
All three readings today
help us understand this mystery. Each one shows us how Jesus loved deeply,
suffered for us, and gave Himself completely.
The
Suffering Servant (Is 52:13 - 53:12)
Isaiah gives us the first
image of kenosis: the Servant who suffers for others. “He was despised and
rejected… a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.” This is surprising and
shocking. God’s plan of salvation is;
not through power,
not through glory,
not through triumph
but through humility
and suffering.
The Servant takes upon
Himself what is not His own - our sin, our guilt, our wounds. He does not
resist, he does not complain, he does not defend Himself, and he does not seek
revenge. Let us notice the
silence: “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth.” This is not an empty silence, but a silence
filled with love.
Christ, the
High Priest (Heb 4:14 - 16; 5:7 - 9)
The second reading
invites us into the inner life of Jesus - the spiritual dimension of kenosis. We
hear that Christ offered up prayers and supplications with “loud cries and tears”
and submitted to the Father’s will. These “loud cries and tears” take us to the
Garden of Gethsemane, where He prays: “Father, if You are willing, remove this
cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” (Luke 22:42).
“As He came near and saw
the city, He wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known… the things that make for
peace!’” Jesus cries over Jerusalem because the people reject God’s love.
“My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” This is a cry of deep anguish.
This is a powerful and
moving image. We see Jesus not only as the Son of God, but fully human - praying,
struggling, weeping.
As St.
Francis de Sales also
reminds us: “Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections.”
This shows us that
self-emptying is not easy. It is not an artificial gesture. It involves the
depths of the human heart: fear, sorrow, and struggle. Jesus experiences them
fully, yet He surrenders them to the Father.
The Passion
According to John (John 18:1 –19:42)
Finally, we encounter the
fullness of kenosis in the Passion itself.
Christ is betrayed,
abandoned, mocked, scourged, dragged, beaten, spat and crucified. Step by step,
He empties Himself:
· Stripped of His garments -
He lost His dignity,
· Crowned with thorns -
He faced rejection and humiliation,
· Betrayed and abandoned -
His own friends left Him,
· Mocked and insulted -
He was laughed at and shamed,
· Scourged and beaten -
He suffered great physical pain,
· Spat upon and dragged -
He was treated without respect,
· Nailed to the Cross -
He gave up His life for us Even in death, He gives Himself completely: “It
is finished.”
See the beauty of the
Gospel:
when we are empty
- God fills us.
When we surrender
- we find victory.
When we give
everything - love overflows.
The Cross is not only an
instrument of suffering—it is the sign of God’s never-ending love. Here,
kenosis is revealed in its ultimate form: a love that holds nothing back, even
unto death.
Let me
share a story
There was once a young
man who went to a wise teacher, asking, “Teach me how to live a full, holy and
meaningful life.”
The teacher quietly took a cup and began to pour tea into it. The cup soon overflowed, spilling onto the table - but the teacher kept pouring.
The young man exclaimed, “Stop! The cup is already full. It cannot take any more!”
The teacher smiled and said, “Just like this cup, you are full - full of your own ideas, ego, pride, fears, and desires. If you want to receive something new, you must first empty yourself.”
Brothers and sisters, this simple story reveals the heart of kenosis. Unless we empty ourselves, we cannot receive the fullness of God. Jesus Himself gives us the deepest meaning of His death when He says: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (John 12:24) This one sentence explains the Cross.
The Call to
Live Kenosis in Current Sanrio
Good Friday is not a day to stand and look - it is a day to step in and experience God’s love. Kenosis – Self emptying love of Jesus invites us to empty ourselves:
- Of pride, so we can love
- Of anger, so we can forgive
- Of fear, so we can trust
- Of comfort, so we can serve
Even in suffering, rejection, and when we feel alone, God is still with us. Through surrender, humility, and love, God is at work.
The Message
of the Cross
The Cross teaches us a
beautiful truth:
- When we are empty, God fills us
- When we surrender, we find victory
- When we give everything, love overflows
Like the cup in the
story, unless we empty ourselves, we cannot receive God’s grace.
Personal
Reflection
As we venerate the Cross of
JESUS today, let us ask ourselves:
- What is filling my “cup” that leaves
no room for God?
- What do I need to let go of?
- Where is God calling me to love more deeply?
not with power, but with
self-giving.
Not with judgment, but
with mercy.
LIVE JESUS!
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