Homily for Good Friday, Celebration of the Passion of the Lord

April 18, 2025
St. Patrick Cathedral
Fort Worth, Texas

Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-16, 17, 25
Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
John 18:1-19:42

Throughout the Gospel we see the Apostle Peter reluctant and resistant to accept the Cross of Jesus. When he makes his confession of faith in Jesus as the Christ and Son of God and is entrusted with the keys of heaven, he is immediately and sharply rebuked by Jesus for rejecting Jesus’ key revelation that He is to be rejected, suffer, and die.

On Mount Tabor, when in the company of James and John, Jesus reveals Himself transfigured in glory, Peter suggests that they not descend from Mount Tabor to proceed to Jerusalem preferring the presence of Christ in His glory than the journey towards the Cross. At the Last Supper, Jesus prophesies that Peter will deny Him three times, but Peter obstinately declares that his will power is strong enough for him never to deny Christ even if everyone else does. Finally in today’s Gospel, Peter resists the Cross by pulling out his sword to fight his way out of the Garden of Gethsemane, drawing from Jesus one final angry rebuke to “put his sword back into its scabbard.” Peter, the Rock, flees.

During Jesus’ interrogation in the high priest’s house, the Gospel notes that the high priest’s slaves and guards “were standing around a charcoal fire that they had made, because it was cold, and were warming themselves.” John further adds — and this is especially relevant — that “Peter was also standing there keeping warm.” The fact that Peter has attached himself to a charcoal fire created by people hostile to the Lord Jesus — is revelatory.

This small fire — a tiny flame created by men, as John says, “in an attempt to warm themselves” — the human attempt to illuminate the darkness and coldness of the world — also highlights Peter’s attempt at self-sufficiency — his attempt to live without the Cross — his attempt to exist on his own, without Grace, without communion with God — without love.

As a result of his hovering around the charcoal fire amidst those hostile to Jesus, Peter soon finds out that the way of self-sufficiency might offer a temporary respite from cold and darkness, but it can only offer short-term survival, not life eternal. It is impossible for a puny charcoal fire to conquer the darkness of night — and it is impossible for Peter to be truly alive simply by means of his own resources. Because of his decision to rely on this makeshift fire, Peter quickly is overcome by the cold and darkness of the sinful human condition and denies his friend — his Master — his Lord — Jesus the Christ — three times.

Peter’s experience is our own. In sharing this easily overlooked detail of the charcoal fire, John shows us that no one is strong enough to travel the path of salvation unaided. None of us is self-sufficient. Each of us require the Grace that only Christ can offer through the mystery of His Cross that must be proclaimed and witnessed by the Church. Our own “charcoal fires” always fail to keep us warm and stave off the darkness. Our health fails, our money runs out, our plans come to naught…the “charcoal fires” by which we attempt to warm ourselves and save ourselves lead us to deny God and ultimately lead to our self-destruction. Yet, even if our repeated experience shows us this, we too frequently prefer the futility of defiance to acceptance of our share in the Cross of Christ — sin and redemption.

We even go to the point of trying to impose this upon the mission and authentic identity of the Church established by Christ. The early twentieth century theologian Rienhold Niebuhr once offered an observation on the modern world’s approach to Christianity, “A God without wrath brought men without sin into a Kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a Cross.” This is denial, defiance, and despair.

Mercifully, Christ does not abandon us. Peter’s thrice denial — our own defiance and denial — bring us again face to face with the Cross. We are brought here again today with the decision to face the Cross and to embrace its wood and to adore Him who hangs upon it as our Savior. It is only the Cross of Christ, His imponderable mercy, that ignites the Easter Fire of God’s love within human beings and that burns brightly never to be enveloped by the darkness nor extinguished by the coldness of indifference and sin.

To stand at the foot of the Cross is our only hope. Christ knows, and the example of all of the Apostles demonstrates, that it is impossible to remain there without His Grace. So, Jesus gives us Mary, full of Grace, His own Blessed Mother to be our mother as His last gift to us given by Him from the Cross. Mary, our Mother, standing broken-hearted and sinless at the foot of her Son’s Cross, stands with us attentively at the foot of the Cross. Let us ask her to help us to let go of the fires of self-sufficiency and to embrace her Son’s Cross with sorrow for our sins and gratitude for our redemption.