Good Friday is the saddest day in Christendom. It marks the death of Jesus. He did not simply die. He was put to death, executed. He was not simply executed. He was tortured for many hours and in many different ways before he died. He did not merely die. He was nailed to the cross, crucifixion being the the capital punishment that the Romans reserved for the most notorious criminals. It was so gory no Roman citizen was ever crucified. It was a penalty meant only for barbarians, i.e. non-Roman citizens.
There was extreme torture within Christ as he saw his death coming. It was so horrific that he asked the Father to let the chalice pass away from him. But when he was given up to death, it was a death he freely accepted. For all the pain and the sufferings, Jesus still was obedient unto to death, “Father, not my will but yours be done.”
Life is wonderful. But pain and suffering are an essential part of being human. Often, when we pray; we would want to change God and have him act or behave according to what we want. Jesus taught us how to truly pray. We pray that God changes us so that we may do and follow his will. We pray from wisdom and discernment to know and understand his will. We pray for strength and courage so that we follow and do his biding even it this means going through painful agony.