Holy Week Devotions - Good Friday

Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which He looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which
He walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which He blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are His body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
~ St. Theresa of Ávila
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It is a blessing to serve as the hands of feet of Christ. How will we treat our ordinary lives as a blessing to us, to others and to the world?

As a pastor, I've been asked many times, "Why is it called "Good Friday" if the day commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus? But the use of "good" comes from a sense of "pious" or "holy". In German-speaking countries, it is generally referred to as Karfreitag ("Mourning Friday") but it is sometimes also called Stiller Freitag ("Silent Friday") and Hoher Freitag ("High Friday, Holy Friday").

I like the term "Holy Friday" because it lays a foundation of solemnity, sacredness and blessing upon the day. In St. Theresa's poem, she repeats the idea that our faith is lived in the actions we take, including the work of our hands and feet. The steps we take on the path following Jesus is a sacred journey and how do we mark our walk as holy? In some cultures, we remove our shoes.

In many cultures, we remove our shoes when we enter a home, paying respect to the homeowner and to the home. While visiting other cultures, I've preached barefoot after removing my shoes to approach the altar. In India, the children remove their shoes before mealtime. In our ordinary lives, we have the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Christ, blessing the world with his love, mercy, forgiveness and compassion.

We are standing on holy ground. How will we treat our ordinary lives as a blessing to us, to others and to the world?