Father Philip Smith: It’s important to remember that Jesus is with us and will continue to be with us as the journey continues into the future.

Father Philip Smith: God didn’t create us to be spectators. God created us to run, he created us to go out into the world and to share his love and mercy.

Monsignor Michael Billian: Today, Christians around the world celebrate that life has meaning. We celebrate that life is redeemed.

Monsignor Michael Billian: The Lord invites all of us to come to the Big Table, to listen to the stories that belong to our faith family, to share in the one bread and the one cup, to enjoy the strength that we receive by being together around the Big Table.

Monsignor Michael Billian: Good Friday is good. It is a day of solemn remembrance, not a day of mourning and sadness.

Father Philip Smith: The great thing that will happen if we make time for Jesus this week, and really every day, is that we will see what Jesus has done for us.

Monsignor Michael Billian: What are those self-inflicted places of isolation? What are our tombs?

Father Philip Smith: Jesus today wants us to see the full story, to see life at a deeper level, so that we can be slower to gossip and quicker to pray for people whose decisions we don’t understand.

Monsignor Michael Billian: That true gift of hope keeps us from discouragement. It sustains us in times when we feel abandoned. It opens our hearts. And it actually preserves us from being selfish.

Father Philip Smith: Listening is what builds intimacy. It bonds people together. Even when we disagree with other people, it helps us understand where they’re coming from.