Vigils Reading- Good Friday

SOVEREIGNTY IS LAID

ON HIS SHOULDERS

From a sermon by St Leo the Great

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When our Lord was handed over to the will of his cruel foes, they ordered

him, in mockery of his royal dignity, to carry the instrument of his own torture.

This was done to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah: “A child is born for us, a son is

given to us; sovereignty is laid upon his shoulders.” To the wicked, the sight of

the Lord carrying his own cross was indeed an object of derision; but to the

faithful a great mystery was revealed, for the cross was destined to become the

scepter of his power. Here was the majestic spectacle of a glorious conqueror

mightily overthrowing the hostile forces of the devil and nobly bearing the

trophy of his victory. On the shoulders of his invincible patience he carried the

sign of salvation for all the kingdoms of the earth to worship, as if on that day he

would strengthen all his future disciples by the symbol of his work, and say to

them: “Anyone who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of

me.”

O the marvelous power of the cross, the glory in the passion! No tongue

can fully describe it. Here we see the judgment seat of the Lord, here sentence

is passed upon the world, and here the sovereignty of the Crucified is revealed.

You drew all things to yourself, Lord, when you stretched out your hands all

the day long to a people that denied and opposed you, until at last the whole

world was brought to proclaim your majesty. You drew all things to yourself,

Lord…when the lights of heaven were darkened and the day was turned into

night; when the land was shaken by unwonted earthquakes, and all creation

refused to serve those wicked people. Yes, Lord, you drew all things to

yourself; the veil of the temple was torn in two and the Holy of Holies taken

away from those unworthy high priests. Figures gave way to reality,

prophecy to manifestation, law to gospel. You drew all things to yourself in

order that the worship of the whole human race could be celebrated

everywhere in a sacramental form which would openly fulfill what had been

enacted by means of veiled symbols in that single Jewish temple. A nobler

order of levites has now arisen, we have elders of a greater dignity and priests

of a holier anointing, because your cross is the fountainhead of every blessing

and the source of every grace. Through your cross the faithful are given

strength instead of weakness, glory instead of shame, life instead of death.