Good Friday

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our inequities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Isaiah 53:5

This afternoon I walked down to the Basilica and sat in one of the pews. I watched as people filed in and out of the silent church, taking a few minutes to kneel and pray before returning to the day. Today is Good Friday, the day more than a billion people commemorate the death of Jesus. Today we remember a mystery of the faith, that his punishment brings us peace and his wounds bring healing.

There is something inside of me crying out that suffering and war and hunger are not how things are supposed to be. This world is not as it was supposed to be. But, because of what happened on Good Friday, I have hope. There is more. There will be a day when God wipes away every tear from our eyes and there will be no more death nor sadness. This is the reason that today is called good: it does not end with the death. Easter is coming.