Good Friday, he says, “shows that this world has always been sometimes unjust and unfair. It shows how already in the time of Jesus evil people conspired to punish and kill the innocent because of lust for money and power and wickedness.”
The second of the three days of the Paschal Triduum, which commemorates the day Jesus was crucified “also shows that God suffers with us for by his wounds we are healed (Is. 53:5) but has utmost patience for unjust, evil people so he may be glorified. It reminds us that God is not absent when there is pain and sorrow and suffering especially when the innocent people suffer,” Bishop Badejo says.
In his Good Friday Message shared with ACI Africa April 14, the Local Ordinary of Oyo Diocese who doubles as the President of the Pan African Episcopal Committee for Social Communications (CEPACS) invites followers of Jesus Christ to be faithful to their Christian calling.
“Good Friday calls on us all to be faithful to our Christian calling. Jesus died to save life and all who destroy it and cause others to do so can neither worship him nor win his favor,” Bishop Badejo says in his Message titled, “Contemplate Jesus the man of Sorrow”.
“Good Friday reminds Christians that salvation comes from the virtues of the cross of Christ like trust in God and forgiveness and that it is necessary for all who believe in him to unite their sufferings and trials with Jesus,” he says.
The 60-year-old Nigerian Bishop who has been at the helm of Oyo Diocese since November 2009 cautions against opportunism saying, “Good Friday condemns the get rich quick, cash and carry, wealth without work, and pleasure without principle-mentality, which many people crave today.”
“Such attitudes, especially in the youth, in the politicians and other leaders today must be arrested,” Bishop Badejo says in reference to opportunism, and adds, “It offends God and only leads to a disastrous rat race which will produce more casualties as we see already.”
The Nigerian Catholic Bishop further says that “God wants everybody to abandon sin, embrace holiness and live a life of sacrifice for others.”
He says, “Jesus’ words and actions especially at his crucifixion show how much he wanted to save sinners. He was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles but on a cross between two thieves to give them maximum opportunity for conversion.”
“He even forgave his killers. That is why the Church today is not meant to be a hotel for perfect people but a spiritual hospital for sinners who would repent,” Bishop Badejo says in his Good Friday reflection shared with ACI Africa April 14.
