Good Friday 2026

Today, my dear friends in Christ, the world grows strangely silent. The sun refuses to shine at noon. The earth trembles. And a rough wooden cross, planted on a hill outside Jerusalem, casts its long shadow across every human heart. This is not merely an anniversary of an execution. This is the day the Son of God died for you and me.

A little child approached me one day and asked, "Why is today Good Friday instead of Bad Friday?" It is simply because the death of Christ atoned for humanity’s sins, making salvation possible. What seemed like a tragic defeat is now seen as a profound victory.

Look at Him there, the crucified Christ: bloodied, thorn-crowned, nailed. His arms are stretched out as far as they can go, as if He wanted to embrace the whole world and never let it go. In that embrace, He takes upon Himself every sin you and I have ever committed—every selfish thought, every cruel word, every moment we chose darkness over light. Even in His pains, He pleaded with His Father:

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Do you hear those words? They are spoken not only for the soldiers who drove the nails. They are spoken for us. We, too, have driven nails. Every time we have betrayed a friend, neglected prayer, hardened our hearts against the poor, or preferred our comfort to His will, we have stood beneath that cross with a hammer in our hand. Yet from the cross, He does not curse. He forgives. That is the first and greatest lesson of this day: mercy is stronger than sin.

But let us not stop at sentiment. Good Friday is brutally practical.

• First, the Cross tells us that suffering is not meaningless. In a world that runs from pain, flees discomfort, and demands instant relief, Jesus shows us that love is proven in suffering. He did not come to eliminate all crosses; He came to redeem them. Your broken marriage, your financial ruin, your loneliness, your addiction, your secret shame—none of these are outside the reach of the Man on the Cross. Bring them to Him. Nail them there with His own hands. He has already carried far worse.

• Second, the Cross demands a decision. There were three crosses on Calvary. On one hung a thief who mocked Him. On another hung a thief who turned to Him and said, “Remember me.” Between them hung the Savior. Two men, same suffering, same nearness to Christ, yet one chose hell and the other paradise. The difference was not circumstance; it was choice. Today you stand spiritually at the foot of the Cross. Will you look at the blood flowing from His side and say, “It means nothing to me”? Or will you say with the good thief, “Lord, I deserve this, but You do not—have mercy on me”?

• Third, the Cross calls us to love without limits. Notice how Jesus, in His agony, still cared for His Mother and gave her to John. Even while dying, He was thinking of others. That is the pattern for Christian life: not to wait until we feel strong or generous or holy, but to love now, from the cross we are carrying. Your cross is your pulpit. Preach from it by the way you endure it with love.

The Cross is not a decoration. It is a judgment on the world and an invitation to something greater. It judges our superficiality, our self-worship, our cheap forgiveness, and our comfortable Christianity. But it also lifts us up. For the same Cross that reveals the depth of our sin reveals the height of God’s love.

THE NATURE OF CHRIST’S CRUCIFIXION AND ITS PROCEDURE

Roman crucifixion in the time of Jesus was a deliberate, public form of execution designed not just to kill, but to humiliate and prolong suffering.

1. The Scouring (The Flagrum) The instrument used was a short handle with leather thongs weighted with lead balls or jagged sheep-bone fragments (scorpions).

• Effects: These ripped skin into “ribbons,” exposing muscle and causing massive blood loss. Jesus was scourged until He was in a state of medical shock before even reaching the hill.

2. Carrying the Cross The victim usually carried only the patibulum (the horizontal crossbeam), weighing between 34–57 kg (75–125 lbs). The vertical post (stipes) was already fixed in the ground. Jesus collapsed under this weight, and Simon of Cyrene was forced to assist.

3. The Nailing * The Nails: Iron spikes 13–18 cm long. They were driven through the wrists (not the palms), as the palms could not support the body's weight.

• The Feet: Legs were bent and a nail was driven through the heels or ankles.

• The Sedile: A small wooden ledge was sometimes used to allow the victim to sit slightly, which perversely prolonged the agony by delaying suffocation.

4. Cause of Death Death came primarily through asphyxiation (suffocation). To breathe, the victim had to push up on their nailed feet to exhale. Eventually, exhaustion made this impossible. To hasten death, soldiers would perform crurifragium (breaking the legs), but for Jesus, this was unnecessary as He died after approximately six hours.

So today, how can we reciprocate that same love? The decision is yours to make. Do not merely observe Good Friday. Enter it. Kiss the Cross. Confess your sins. Forgive those who have hurt you. Pick up whatever cross is yours and follow Him. For the Man who hangs there is no victim—He is the Victor who has overcome the world.

And when you leave this church, carry with you the words the saints have always known: Per Crucem ad Lucem—Through the Cross, to the Light.

MAY THE LORD BLESS HIS WORDS IN OUR HEARTS... AMEN.

Fr. Emmanuel Igwe, HFFBY