Good Friday Meditation

John 19:31-37

31Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken,"[b] 37and, as another scripture says, "They will look on the one they have pierced."[c] (NIV)

The Blood and Water from His Side

St. John Chrysostom- Early Church Father and Doctor of the Church


This reading is an excerpt of The Catecheses (Cat. 3, 13-19; SC 50, 174-177) by St. John Chrysostom, one of the greatest Early Church Fathers of the 5th Century. It is used in the Roman Church's Office of Readings for Good Friday with the accompanying biblical reading of Hebrews 9: 11-28 and is a powerful meditation on the passion. But it also tells us much about the connection between the passion and the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist which flow from the paschal mystery and connect us to its saving power.

If we wish to understand the power of Christ’s blood, we should go back to the ancient account of its prefiguration in Egypt. “Sacrifice a lamb without blemish”, commanded Moses, “and sprinkle its blood on your doors”. If we were to ask him what he meant, and how the blood of an irrational beast could possibly save men endowed with reason, his answer would be that the saving power lies not in the blood itself, but in the fact that it is a sign of the Lord’s blood. In those days, when the destroying angel saw the blood on the doors he did not dare to enter, so how much less will the devil approach now when he sees, not that figurative blood on the doors, but the true blood on the lips of believers, the doors of the temple of Christ.

If you desire further proof of the power of this blood, remember where it came from, how it ran down from the cross, flowing from the Master’s side. The gospel records that when Christ was dead, but still hung on the cross, a soldier came and pierced his side with a lance and immediately there poured out water and blood. Now the water was a symbol of baptism and the blood, of the holy eucharist. The soldier pierced the Lord’s side, he breached the wall of the sacred temple, and I have found the treasure and made it my own. So also with the lamb: the Jews sacrificed the victim and I have been saved by it.

“There flowed from his side water and blood”. Beloved, do not pass over this mystery without thought; it has yet another hidden meaning, which I will explain to you. I said that water and blood symbolized baptism and the holy eucharist. From these two sacraments the Church is born: from baptism, “the cleansing water that gives rebirth and renewal through the Holy Spirit”, and from the holy eucharist. Since the symbols of baptism and the Eucharist flowed from his side, it was from his side that Christ fashioned the Church, as he had fashioned Eve from the side of Adam Moses gives a hint of this when he tells the story of the first man and makes him exclaim: “Bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh!” As God then took a rib from Adam’s side to fashion a woman, so Christ has given us blood and water from his side to fashion the Church. God took the rib when Adam was in a deep sleep, and in the same way Christ gave us the blood and the water after his own death.

Do you understand, then, how Christ has united his bride to himself and what food he gives us all to eat? By one and the same food we are both brought into being and nourished. As a woman nourishes her child with her own blood and milk, so does Christ unceasingly nourish with his own blood those to whom he himself has given life.

(Read More: Here).

See also: Blood And Water From The Side Of Christ, DEATH OF JESUS and Aquinas On The Blood And Water From The Side Of Christ.


Here are the lyrics to Double Cure:

Double Cure
Run Time: 5:09
Written by Bill Mallonee for Fingerprint Records and CyBrenJoJosh (BMI) ©1996

yeah today i'm sick of all i am
today is my setback
first i swear i love you
then i stab you in the back

i wanna drink out of that fountain
on a hill called double cure
i wanna show you my allegiance Lord
yes i wanna be a son of Yours

so tired of all my toys
they never last for long
they keep beaming dreams and wishes
to a big dish on my front lawn

bet you all have got a story
you're just aching to tell
haven't we thrown our coinage
down the wishing well

so go and call your neighbor
proceed with all due haste
go grab your wife and sweet family
see there is no time to waste

we're gonna drink out of that fountain
on a hill called double cure
i wanna show you my allegiance Lord
yes i wanna be a son of Yours

ask me why i love Him
He gave riches to this poor
yes and i will one day see that face
over yonder shore

---Did You Know?

A number one single for the Vigilantes of Love, "Double Cure" remains a favorite of many fans and a favorite of Bill's wife, Brenda, who claims it will always be her favorite. In the words of Bill, this is "a song about understanding how close God is when He seems the farthest away." The song begins to the tune of "All Hail The Power Of Jesus Name." The phrase "Double Cure" was taken from a verse of the hymn "Rock of Ages." It is a reference to being cleansed from both sin's guilt and power. The recording of this song was the first time that Tom Crea, Chris Bland and Bill had been in the studio together. VoL was nominated for a Dove Award for this song. They lost to a song called "Epidermis Girl" by Bleach.
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Double Cure (Reprise)
Run Time: 3:42
Written by Bill Mallonee for Fingerprint Records and CyBrenJoJosh (BMI) ©1996

today i'm sick of all i am
today is my setback
first i say i love you
i stab you in the back

wanna drink out of that fountain
on a hill called double cure
show you my allegiance Lord
i wanna be a son of Yours

i'm tired of all my toys
they never last for long
they're beaming dreams and wishes
to a big dish on my lawn

i bet you've got a story
you've been aching to tell
i bet you've thrown some coinage
down the wishing well

go and call your neighbor
there is no time to waste
get your wife and family
proceed with all due haste

you ask me why i love Him
He gave riches to the poor
i will one day see that face
over yonder shore