AECI Lent 2026 Reflection: 'Am I In The Picture? A Screen Journey' (Good Friday)

AECI Lent 2026 Reflection: 'Am I In The Picture? A Screen Journey'

(With reference to Pier Paolo Pasolini's 'Gospel According to St Matthew 1964)

Opening Prayer:

'All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

The hatred which divides nation from nation, race from race, class from class,

Father forgive.

The covetous desires of people and nations to possess what is not their own,

Father, forgive.

The greed which exploits the work of human hands and lays waste the earth,

Father, forgive.

Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others,

Father, forgive.

Our indifference to the plight of the imprisoned, the homeless, the refugee,

Father, forgive.

The lust which dishonours the bodies of men, women and children,

Father, forgive.

The pride which leads us to trust in ourselves and not in God,

Father, forgive.

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.' (The Coventry Litany of Reconciliation)

Good Friday:

'Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him.“He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.' (Matthew 27:38-43)

On this day, through the Gospel reading and through the lens of director Pier Pasolini, we gaze on the sheer brutality of man towards his fellow man.

RECALL: Your own gifts of endurance, of forgiveness , of renewal amidst human weakness.

ASK: How do I respond to moments when I cannot perceive the presence of God?

REFLECT: In the selected picture today, those close to Jesus gather at the foot of the Cross. They gather 'in sorrow' but also 'in faith'. The city below 'Golgotha' (the 'Place of the Skull') goes about its business. The 'sacred' and 'the restorative' amidst the everyday is dismissed.

Yet 'belief' is carried by those who stand in allegiance to their Saviour.