“Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene” (Jn 19:25).
Good Friday places us before the deepest mystery of our faith: the Cross of Christ. It is not simply a remembrance of a historical event, but an invitation to enter the heart of divine love given to the very end. On this day, heaven and earth meet, time seems to stand still, and we are invited to remain, like Mary, at the foot of the cross. For those who have received the charism of the Assumption, this contemplation takes on a particular meaning: we are called not only to contemplate the mystery but to allow it to dwell within us so that we may become witnesses of the hope born from crucified love.
In daily life, we all experience small or great forms of “good fridays”: moments when suffering knocks at the door, when uncertainty outweighs certainty, when we accompany someone in pain and find no words. In these concrete realities, the Cross ceases to be a distant symbol and becomes a living experience. Here the Assumption spirituality reveals a luminous path: contemplating Christ on the Cross and, from that contemplation, committing ourselves to the transformation of the world.
Mary’s gesture at the foot of the cross is above all one of steadfast presence. While the disciples flee, she remains. She does not fully understand, yet she does not abandon. Her presence is radical fidelity to the love she has received and to the Son entrusted to her. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that Mary was associated “more intimately than any other person with the mystery of His redemptive suffering” (CCC 618). This participation is active: Mary teaches us that remaining at the cross means entering into the logic of love that does not flee suffering, but faces it with trust in God.
The spirituality of the Assumption, inspired by Saint Marie Eugénie of Jesus, invites us precisely to this attitude. In her Chapter Instructions of March 9, 1873, our foundress taught that faith is not an escape from reality but a profound gaze that discovers God at work even in suffering. The contemplation of the Passion shapes us, strengthens us, and sends us forth.
The Catechism teaches that the sacrifice of Christ is unique and surpasses all sacrifices (CCC 614), yet we are called to participate in it (CCC 618). Remaining at the Cross is therefore not only contemplation but participation in self-giving redeeming love. Good Friday is not only memory; it is living participation, allowing the Cross to touch our struggles and transform them into offering.
Mary holds a unique place at the foot of the Cross. Her presence is not only maternal but deeply faithful. She does not fully understand, yet she trusts. Her suffering is immense but does not become despair. Her hope rests on the faithfulness of God, not on visible certainty.
Saint John Paul II, in Salvifici Doloris, affirmed that human suffering reaches its summit in Christ’s Passion and becomes a path of redemption when united with Him. Mary embodies this truth: she inhabits suffering through faith and transforms it into Christian hope. The Rule of Life of the Religious of the Assumption reminds us that Mary accompanies the sisters on their journey of faith (RV 7), teaching trust even when everything seems lost.
Good Friday reveals that true love always involves self-gift. Jesus dies not out of obligation but out of love: “having loved his own… he loved them to the end” (Jn 13:1). The Cross is understood through this “to the end.” It is not suffering itself that saves, but love lived completely. The Catechism states: “Jesus substitutes His obedience for our disobedience” (CCC 615).
Saint Marie Eugénie taught that meditating on the Passion helps us become “conformed to the original,” leading us to solidarity with those living their own good fridays: the poor, the excluded, the suffering, and those who have lost hope.
The Rule of Life calls us to a “preferential love for the poor” (RV 78), inseparable from the proclamation of the Gospel. To accompany suffering is not to possess answers but to offer a presence reflecting the love of God, standing like Mary beside today’s crosses.
For Saint Marie Eugénie, contemplation and action are inseparable. Deep contemplation of the Cross urges us to work for a more just and human world. Religious vocation thus becomes a bridge between the Cross and the Resurrection, gathering the world’s pain and presenting it to God while working for new life.
This conviction is echoed by Pope Leo XIV in his apostolic exhortation Dilexit te (October 9, 2025), reminding us that Christians cannot remain indifferent to the cry of the poor. The Cross becomes the place where we learn to encounter today’s crucified and dedicate our lives to the extension of Christ’s Kingdom (RV 75).
Good Friday is marked by silence — not emptiness, but expectation. The Cross does not have the final word, yet it must be embraced to discover the true meaning of love and a hope that does not disappoint.
Saint Marie Eugénie offered the image of Tyrolean farmers carving wooden Christs while constantly meditating on the Passion. Their example reminds us that the Cross must become the daily center of our contemplation and action.
To live Good Friday is to accept a profound invitation: to remain at the Cross, contemplate self-giving love, and allow that love to transform our lives. It is a demanding path of fidelity, silence, and faith, yet one that opens a hope capable of illuminating even the darkest realities.
Today, the world needs witnesses who do not flee suffering but accompany it with love. May contemplating the crucified Christ renew our commitment to be a living presence of His love in the world.
Mirza Zamora
Central America–Cuba Province
Bibliographical References