Homily given by Archbishop Anthony Randazzo
Prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts & Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Broken Bay
Good Friday 2026
3 April 2026
We stand at the foot of the Cross and contemplate a mystery that is at once confronting and deeply consoling. We behold the suffering and death of Jesus Christ, yet we are invited not into despair, but into a profound and lasting peace.
The Letter to the Hebrews reveals Jesus to us as the great high priest who has “passed through the heavens.” (Heb 4:14)
His Passion is not an end, nor a failure, but a journey through suffering into glory. He does not remain distant from us. He has known weakness, anguish, and fear. He has walked the path of human suffering, even to the point of death. Because of this, he understands us completely. There is a quiet peace in knowing that nothing we endure is foreign to him.
Hebrews invites us to “approach the throne of grace with confidence.” (Heb 14:16) This is a remarkable invitation. Through the sacrifice of Christ, the barrier between humanity and God has been removed. Fear gives way to trust. Distance gives way to closeness. Guilt gives way to mercy. In his Passion, Jesus opens for us a way into the very heart of God. This restored relationship is the foundation of true peace.
My sisters and brothers, we are also reminded that Jesus offered “prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears.” (Heb 5:7) These words echo the depth of his suffering. Yet even in that suffering, he entrusts himself to God the Father.
Here we learn that peace is not the absence of pain, but the presence of trust. It is the steady assurance that God is at work, even in the darkest moments. Through what he suffered, Christ learned obedience and became the source of eternal salvation. His suffering, my dear people, is not meaningless. It is transformative. It reveals that even pain and loss can become a path to life. In Jesus, suffering is not the final word. Love is.
And then we hear those final words from the Cross: “It is accomplished.” (John 19:30) These are not words of defeat, but of fulfilment. The mission entrusted to Jesus by God the Father is complete. In that moment, Christ Jesus gives himself entirely, breathing forth the Spirit, reconciling heaven and earth. What was broken is restored. What was divided is made one. The peace of God is won.
From the Cross, a new creation begins. The Church is born, and with it a new way of living: a life marked by reconciliation, mercy, and peace. This is not a fragile or fleeting peace, but a lasting peace, grounded in the love of God poured out for us. Our world longs for such peace. It longs for healing, for unity, for hope.
Today we are reminded that this peace is not beyond our reach. It has been given to us through the Passion and death of Christ. It is a peace that can dwell in the human heart, a peace that can shape our relationships, a peace that can be lived by all people of good will.
As we venerate the Cross today, let us not only see the suffering of Christ, but also the victory of his love. Together let us open our hearts to receive the peace Jesus offers and carry it into our world. For in his sacrifice, in his obedience, and in his final breath, the work of salvation is accomplished, and the peace of God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, which is beyond all understanding, is made known to all.