Good Friday Psalm Prayers

We enter into the mystery of anguish and suffering, the pain of our sisters and brothers in countries at war, in areas of natural disaster, those who are sick, who are in prison, those who are homeless and seek shelter, those who have lost jobs, who are hungry, who suffer from rejection and loneliness. Let us bring our intentions silently to the foot of the cross. We release our fear of entering into this suffering that reveals the true face of Jesus.

Psalm 2

How can we understand that the One who is dying on the cross, in poverty and rejection – the One who keeps trusting in spite of rejection, is indeed blessed by God? Aren’t we scandalized by the experience of failure? there is a deep and intimate unity between the cross and resurrection. Jesus makes all things new.

Psalm 22

Jesus welcomes everything that is broken. If we give him our weakness he will transform it into a source of life. All the competence in the world will never heal all the world’s anguish, mend all those who are broken, We remain close to them, like Mary, learning how to offer it to God with her, in union with Jesus, to give life to the world.

Psalm 38

Those who are weak and broken are a sacrament rendering Jesus present. It is the great mystery of our faith that we have been saved by a condemned man and we have been healed by his wounds. With Mary we put aside our anger and disappointment, our bitterness and fear. With her at the foot of the cross we reach out toward Jesus and say “I trust in You.”

Cf Jean Vanier