| Readings: | Isaiah 52:13—53:12 Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 Passion according to John |
| Date: | April 3, 2026, Good Friday, Cycle A |
When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, "It is finished." And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.
Two Sundays ago I mentioned the Jesus demonstrated the power of God's love at the tomb of Lazarus in that short verse, "And Jesus wept." I would argue that Jesus more completely and more emphatically demonstrates God's love in the one Greek word, Tetelestai, translated for us as "it is finished". Tetelestai was used in various contexts with the same basic meaning: in business, it was written on receipts or debts to indicate paid in full, in a military context it meant, the battle was won, in judicial situations it meant the sentence had been fully served, and a servant would use it to to indicate a particular task had been completed. And in the Greek, tetelestai is in the past perfect tense which indicates an action that occurred in the past but which has current and future effect, that is to say, the mission has been accomplished and it stays accomplished now and forever. One commentary said it is shout of victory, not a whisper of defeat. In other words, it was not just a acknowledgment that Jesus had completed the mission the Father had given him, but that he had completed it perfectly and for all time.
I am reminded of Jesus' last words every time I hear or proclaim the missioning statement at the end of Mass: Go the Mass is ended. As I have said in the past, this is a very weak translation of the the Latin, Ite Missa Est. The meaning of Ite Missa Est is very close to Tetelestai. It means Go, the missioning has been accomplished. This celebration of Eucharist, this deepening and strengthening of our Baptismal mission to be the body of Christ on earth has been accomplished so now go out into the world and live it.
Today's proclamation of the Passion, and our veneration of the Cross reminds us both of the cost of our salvation, and of the importance of completing our part of God's plan to bring salvation to creation. God's plan to redeem us from our sins and to justify each of us so we can enter fully into the loving relationship God created us for is a perfect blend of God's exercise of divine power and forgiveness together with God's respect for our complete freedom to accept or reject His love. This synergy between God and humans is expressed in the theological principle, "God never does anything to us, but rather God does everything with us."
Jesus perfectly completed God's part of that plan by His passion, death, and resurrection. Now it is time for our part. As disciples of Jesus, and members of the mystical Body of Christ, we are called to draw all people into the awareness of what Jesus has done so that they can choose to respond to that expression of love by loving God in return.
I would pray that our gathering here tonight, and our participation in the Eucharist week after week after week, will strengthen us and make it possible that our last words will echo Jesus' on the cross: Tetelestai: It is finished.