PODCAST | Good Friday: Darkness and Light
Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, or Soundcloud.
Today’s meditation by Fr Javier del Castillo on the St. Josemaria Institute Podcast invites us on this Good Friday to stand in the darkness with Mary, John, and the women at the foot of the cross of Jesus and to contemplate how Jesus, the Son of God, was able to overcome all his suffering and was able in his humanity to persevere until the end.
Our encounter with Jesus on the cross leads us to understand how we are to embrace our cross, our ordinary cross. We are called to give freely what we have freely received. This is what gives us light in the darkness.
“But may I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14).
A GUIDE FOR MEDITATION:
We encourage you to write down moments from the meditations that strike you, as well as the thoughts, inspirations and resolutions that arise from your prayer and reflection with our Meditation Journal Sheet. Download it here: Meditation Journal Page
ST. JOSEMARIA INSTITUTE PODCAST:
Don’t miss new podcasts and additional resources for your spiritual life from the St. Josemaria Institute. Subscribe today at: www.stjosemaria.org/subscribe
Rev. Javier del Castillo
Fr. Javier del Castillo is a priest of the Prelature of Opus Dei and currently serves as President of the St. Josemaria Institute. He earned a degree in electronic engineering and moved to Rome to complete his ecclesiastical studies, where he was ordained a priest in 2005 and earned a doctorate in Philosophy from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in 2007. He worked as a chaplain in high schools in the Washington, D.C. and Chicago areas for several years, offering spiritual accompaniment to students, parents, and teachers. From 2015 on, he served as the vicar of Opus Dei in the midwest; he was appointed regional vicar of the United States in 2022. He became vicar of the United States and Canada in 2024, following the restructuring of the regions, until his appointment as Vicar General in April 2025.
