God placed on Jesus’ Cross all the weight of our sins,
all the injustices perpetrated by every Cain against his brother, all the
bitterness of the betrayal by Judas and by Peter, all the vanity of tyrants,
all the arrogance of false friends. It was a heavy Cross, like night
experienced by abandoned people, heavy like the death of loved ones, heavy
because it carries all the ugliness of evil. However, the Cross is also
glorious like the dawn after a long night, for it represents all the love of
God, which is greater than our iniquities and our betrayals. In the Cross we
see the monstrosity of man, when he allows evil to guide him; but we also see
the immensity of the mercy of God, who does not treat us according to our sins
but according to his mercy.
--Pope Francis, Good Friday Way of the Cross, April
18, 2014
