April 3, 2026 // Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel of the Passion of our Lord: John 18:1–19:42
Reflect on the Word //
“Can you play hide and seek with Jesus, Mommy?” My little boy peeked out from the blanket he had playfully pulled over his head. Hide and seek was one of his favorite games. He would run through the house, trying to hold in his uncontrollable laughter, and look for the very best place to hide. But he always picked the most obvious places because more than anything else, he loved to be found. I have tried to hide from Jesus. And each time, He invites me to come out saying: Come, little daughter, for I have a place for you.
I often prayerfully imagine the Roman centurion, looking upon our Lord’s marred, divine countenance as He hung on the Cross. Splintered crown of thorns embedded into His Sacred Head. A mix of blood, sweat, and tears dripping down His Holy Face. Hands and feet pierced. Flesh torn. What had the centurion's life been like up to this point? What were the movements in his heart as he watched the agony of crucifixion? Before he thrust his lance into the side of the Savior of the world, did he feel consumed by an unnameable darkness? Did he have an unquenchable ache in his soul that he could not comprehend? A longing that he silenced and fought against? I do not know.
“But one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed” (John 19:34). I watch him fall to his knees in astonishment, after the violent lunge of his spear brings forth a torrent of love. Blood and water flowed and swept up his heart and soul. This is conversion. This is the place where I want to be found. On my knees in astonishment and washed by the Blood of the Lamb.
Jesus presents us with the wound in His side, the blindingly beautiful passage to His Sacred Heart, inflamed with love and mercy. It is so bright, and at first, we may be afraid. Stepping out of the darkness into the light can hurt. But the Cross is what heals us.
Relate to the Lord // Bring your need for healing and your gratitude for Jesus’ sacrifice to the Cross today. Offer Him everything.
Leana Bowler is a wife and mother of five little ones. She is a Holy Rosary enthusiast with deep devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Her love for the message of Divine Mercy led her to become a Marian Missionary of Divine Mercy. She enjoys the miracles of family life, strong coffee, and encountering others on this journey to sainthood. She was a contributing author to And Hay Became Holy and Made New: 52 Devotions for Catholic Women.
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