Correspondent photo / Sean Barron The Rev. John Rovnak of Holy Family Church, left, leads the congregation in prayer during a Good Friday service, titled “The Seven Words,” on Friday at the Poland church.

POLAND — The Rev. Martin Celuch recalled having held his nephew when he was days old, but a year later, the infant didn’t remember him.

Soon, however, Celuch’s sister reminded her son that Celuch was his uncle, which caused the 1-year-old to smile, perhaps a sign of recognition.

That small but significant snippet also aligns with one of Jesus Christ’s final messages before his crucifixion: the importance of loving one another overall — and the enduring nature of unconditional, selfless love.

Celuch delivered that message as one of seven Poland ecumenical leaders who took part in an annual Good Friday prayer service Friday afternoon at Holy Family Church, 2729 Center Road.

The one-hour gathering, titled “The Seven Words of Jesus,” explored the final words and sayings gathered from the four Gospels that Christ uttered as he hung from the cross on Good Friday in which he spoke to God and to his mother, his disciples, to a penitent thief and, many believe, to people today. He also spoke to the importance of forgiveness, redemption and God’s will while fulfilling the messianic prophecies.

Celuch spoke on the third word, “Woman, behold your son! Behold your mother!” In it, he outlined the power Christ exuded before his death in which he implored people to love and treat one another as brothers and sisters.

The other six religious leaders and their portions were Rev. Paul W. Anderson of Poland Presbyterian Church, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do;” Rev. Audra Franley of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with me in paradise;” Rev. Meta Cramer, Heritage Presbyterian Church, “Eli, Eli, Lema Sabachthani” (“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?);” Rev. Steve Rhodes, Bethel Friends Church, “I thirst;” Rev. Paul Turner, Poland United Methodist Church, “It is finished;” and Rev. John Rovnak, Holy Family, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.”

If faced with his final plight, most people would naturally feel great anger, sadness, rage and a desire for retribution, but Christ responded with forgiveness, love and compassion for sinners, Anderson noted in the First Word. The ability to forgive those who do one wrong is a powerful tool in upholding God’s example, he said.

Christ’s word also has the power to invite people into God’s grace, as well as the closeness of his kingdom, something that also carries modern relevance, Franley said.

“The kingdom is now,” she added.

“He took on human form and became obedient to the point of death,” Cramer told more than 100 congregants. “He knew the pain of being utterly abandoned.”

That message can empower those who feel alone, lost, sorrowful or are in emotional pain because Christ was there “to share it and bear it,” she said.

In the Fifth Word, Rhodes cited John 19:28-29, which, in essence, talks about how Christ was aware that he had finished his work before someone soaked a sponge with wine and held it to his mouth on a hyssop plant stem just before his death.

Along those lines, Christ has taken people’s pain and God’s wrath upon himself, Rhodes said.

While dissecting “It is finished,” Turner explained that nearly everyone who experiences the end to major life events such as jobs and educational pursuits has choices regarding how to carry on. Likewise, Christ’s death on the cross represented an end to his physical life, but also opened the start of a new life of sharing his grace and love, he said.

“Share your grace with others,” Turner added.

Christ also suffered recriminations, betrayal and abandonment from government officials, friends, religious figures and others in whom he had trusted. Nevertheless, he ultimately placed his trust in God — a lesson people would do well to follow today, Rovnak said.

The traditional Good Friday gathering resumed last year after having been sidelined because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Anderson said.