Grace and peace be with you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who for our salvation endured the cross, despising its shame.
On this Good Friday, our hearts turn with profound reverence and sorrow to the foot of the Holy Cross. There, amidst the shadow of death, we hear the words of our Lord and Saviour: "IT IS FINISHED."
These three words, spoken not in resignation but in the fullness of divine accomplishment, reverberate throughout history, marking the culmination of God's eternal plan for our redemption. The gospels record not merely a statement, but a victorious cry. The Greek word, *τετέλεσται* (tetelestai), carries the weight of completion, of a debt paid in full, a task brought to its perfect end.
Consider, my beloved, the profound significance of this moment. Upon the Cross, the weight of the sin of the world, the transgressions of all humanity, was laid upon the spotless Lamb of God. Every prophecy foretold by the prophets, every shadow of the Old Covenant, found its definitive fulfilment in the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. The gap that separated humanity from its Creator and Holy God, opened wide by our disobedience, was bridged by His sacrificial love.
The Cross, though an instrument of suffering and shame in the eyes of the world, is for us the very altar of salvation. It is not the end of hope, but the wellspring of eternal life. Through this ultimate act of sacrifice, the power of sin and death is broken, and the path to reconciliation with God is opened anew. What we, in our human frailty, could never achieve through our own effort and merit, our Lord Jesus Christ accomplished perfectly and completely, once and for all.
Therefore, on this holy day, let us not dwell solely on the agony endured by our Saviour, but let us also embrace the glorious truth proclaimed from the Cross. Let the reality of this finished work refresh the depths of our souls. Knowing that you are loved with an everlasting love, that your sins are forgiven through the precious blood of Christ, and that you are set free from the bondage of darkness, not by any merit of your own, but solely by the grace of God manifested in the Passion and Death of our Lord.
Let this profound truth be at the core of our faith, the beginning of our hope, and the inspiration for our lives given in gratitude and service to the Lord who loved us and gave Himself for us.
Until Christ returns,
Bishop Josep M. Roselló-Ferrer
Servant General,
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