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Sacred Liturgy - Holy
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GOOD FRIDAY
On
Good Friday, the entire Church fixes her gaze on the Cross at
Calvary. Each member of the Church tries to understand at what
cost Christ has won our redemption. In the solemn ceremonies of
Good Friday, in the Adoration of the Cross, in the chanting of
the 'Reproaches', in the reading of the Passion, and in
receiving the pre-consecrated Host, we unite ourselves to our
Savior, and we contemplate our own death to sin in the Death of
our Lord.
The Church -- stripped of its ornaments, the altar bare, and
with the door of the empty tabernacle standing open -- is as if
in mourning. In the fourth century the Apostolic Constitutions
described this day as a "day of mourning, not a day of festive
joy", and this day was called the "Pasch (passage) of the
Crucifixion".
The liturgical observance of this day of Christ's suffering,
crucifixion and death evidently has been in existence from the
earliest days of the Church. No Mass is celebrated on this day,
but the service of Good Friday is called the Mass of the
Pre-sanctified because Communion (in the species of bread),
which had already been consecrated on Holy Thursday, is given to
the people .
Traditionally, the organ is silent from Holy Thursday until the
Alleluia at the Easter Vigil, as are all bells or other
instruments, the only music during this period being
unaccompanied chant.
The omission of the prayer of consecration deepens our sense of
loss because Mass throughout the year reminds us of the Lord's
triumph over death, the source of our joy and blessing. The
desolate quality of the rites of this day reminds us of Christ's
humiliation and suffering during his Passion. We can see that
the parts of the Good Friday service correspond to the divisions
of Mass:
1. the Liturgy of the Word -- reading of the Passion.
2. the intercessory prayers for the Church and the entire world,
Christian and non-Christian.
3. Veneration of the Cross
4. Communion, or the 'Mass of the Pre-Sanctified.'
Readings:
First Reading: Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Behold, My servant shall prosper, He shall be exalted and lifted
up, and shall be very high. As many were astonished at Him --
His appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and His
form beyond that of the sons of men -- so shall He startle many
nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of Him; for that
which has not been told them they shall see, and that which they
have not heard they shall understand.
Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of
the Lord been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a young
plant, and like a root out of dry ground; He had no form or
comeliness that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we
should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of
sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men
hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we
esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was
wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our
iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that made us whole,
and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone
astray; we have turned every one to His own way; and the Lord
has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His
mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a
sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so He opened not His
mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for
His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the
land of the living, stricken for the transgression of My people?
And they made His grave with the wicked and with a rich man in
His death, although He had done no violence, and there was no
deceit in His mouth.
Yet it was the will of the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to
grief; when He makes Himself an offering for sin, He shall see
His offspring, He shall prolong His days; the will of the Lord
shall prosper in His hand; He shall see the fruit of the travail
of His soul and be satisfied; by His knowledge shall the
righteous one, My servant, make many to be accounted righteous;
and He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him
a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the
strong; because He poured out His soul to death, and was
numbered with the transgressors; yet He bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Second Reading: Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through
the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our
confession. For we have not a high priest who is unable to
sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has
been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with
confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive
mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
In the days of His flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and
supplications, with loud cries and tears, to Him who was able to
save Him from death, and He was heard for His godly fear.
Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He
suffered; and being made perfect He became the source of eternal
salvation to all who obey Him.
Gospel [Passion]: John 18:1 - 19:42
When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His
disciples across the Kidron valley, where there was a garden,
which He and His disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed Him,
also knew the place; for Jesus often met there with His
disciples. So Judas, procuring a band of soldiers and some
officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there
with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all
that was to befall Him, came forward and said to them, "Whom do
you seek?" They answered Him, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said to
them, "I am He." Judas, who betrayed Him, was standing with
them. When He said to them, "I am He," they drew back and fell
to the ground. Again He asked them, "Whom do you seek?" And they
said, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus answered, "I told you that I am
He; so, if you seek me, let these men go." This was to fulfill
the word which He had spoken, "Of those whom thou gavest Me I
lost not one." Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and
struck the high priest's slave and cut off his right ear. The
slave's name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword
into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup which the Father has
given Me?"
So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of
the Jews seized Jesus and bound Him. First they led Him to Annas;
for He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest
that year. It was Caiaphas who had given counsel to the Jews
that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.
Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. As this
disciple was known to the high priest, he entered the court of
the high priest along with Jesus, while Peter stood outside at
the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high
priest, went out and spoke to the maid who kept the door, and
brought Peter in. The maid who kept the door said to Peter, "Are
not you also one of this Man's disciples?" He said, "I am not."
Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because
it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves;
Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.
The high priest then questioned Jesus about His disciples and
His teaching. Jesus answered him, "I have spoken openly to the
world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple,
where all Jews come together; I have said nothing secretly. Why
do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me, what I said to them;
they know what I said." When He had said this, one of the
officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, "Is
that how You answer the high priest?" Jesus answered him, "If I
have spoken wrongly, bear witness to the wrong; but if I have
spoken rightly, why do you strike Me?" Annas then sent Him bound
to Caiaphas the high priest.
Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said to
him, "Are not you also one of his disciples?" He denied it and
said, "I am not." One of the servants of the high priest, a
kinsman of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, "Did I
not see you in the garden with Him?" Peter again denied it; and
at once the cock crowed. Then they led Jesus from the house of
Caiaphas to the praetorium. It was early. They themselves did
not enter the praetorium, so that they might not be defiled, but
might eat the passover. So Pilate went out to them and said,
"What accusation do you bring against this Man?" They answered
him, "If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have handed
Him over." Pilate said to them, "Take Him yourselves and judge
Him by your own law." The Jews said to him, "It is not lawful
for us to put any Man to death." This was to fulfill the word
which Jesus had spoken to show by what death He was to die.
Pilate entered the praetorium again and called Jesus, and said
to Him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Do you
say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about
Me?" Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief
priests have handed You over to me; what have You done?" Jesus
answered, "My kingship is not of this world; if My kingship were
of this world, My servants would fight, that I might not be
handed over to the Jews; but My kingship is not from the world."
Pilate said to Him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You
say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have
come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who
is of the truth hears My voice." Pilate said to Him, "What is
truth?"
After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again, and told
them, "I find no crime in Him. But you have a custom that I
should release one man for you at the Passover; will you have me
release for you the King of the Jews?" They cried out again,
"Not this man, but Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a robber.
Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers
plaited a crown of thorns, and put it on His head, and arrayed
Him in a purple robe; they came up to Him, saying, "Hail, King
of the Jews!" and struck Him with their hands. Pilate went out
again, and said to them, "See, I am bringing Him out to you,
that you may know that I find no crime in Him." So Jesus came
out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate
said to them, "Behold the Man!" When the chief priests and the
officers saw Him, they cried out, "Crucify him, crucify him!"
Pilate said to them, "Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I
find no crime in Him." The Jews answered him, "We have a law,
and by that law He ought to die, because He has made Himself the
Son of God." When Pilate heard these words, he was the more
afraid; he entered the praetorium again and said to Jesus,
"Where are You from?" But Jesus gave no answer. Pilate therefore
said to Him, "You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I
have power to release You, and power to crucify You?" Jesus
answered him, "You would have no power over Me unless it had
been given you from above; therefore he who delivered Me to you
has the greater sin."
Upon this Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out,
"If you release this Man, you are not Caesar's friend; every one
who makes himself a king sets himself against Caesar." When
Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on
the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, and in Hebrew,
Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it
was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, "Behold your
King!" They cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him, crucify
Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The
chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar." Then he
handed Him over to them to be crucified.
So they took Jesus, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to
the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew
Golgotha. There they crucified Him, and with Him two others, one
on either side, and Jesus between them. Pilate also wrote a
title and put it on the cross; it read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the
King of the Jews." Many of the Jews read this title, for the
place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was
written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. The chief priests of
the Jews then said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the
Jews,' but, 'This man said, I am King of the Jews.'" Pilate
answered, "What I have written I have written."
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus they took His garments and
made four parts, one for each soldier; also His tunic. But the
tunic was without seam, woven from top to bottom; so they said
to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see
whose it shall be." This was to fulfill the scripture, "They
parted My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast
lots."
So the soldiers did this. But standing by the cross of Jesus
were His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of
Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw His mother, and the
disciple whom He loved standing near, He said to His mother,
"Woman, behold, your son!" Then He said to the disciple,
"Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her
to his own home.
After this Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to
fulfill the scripture), "I thirst." A bowl full of vinegar stood
there; so they put a sponge full of the vinegar on hyssop and
held it to His mouth. When Jesus had received the vinegar, He
said, "It is finished"; and He bowed His head and gave up His
spirit.
Since it was the day of Preparation, in order to prevent the
bodies from remaining on the cross on the sabbath (for that
sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs
might be broken, and that they might be taken away. So the
soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other
who had been crucified with Him; but when they came to Jesus and
saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But
one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and at once
there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness
-- his testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth
--that you also may believe. For these things took place that
the scripture might be fulfilled, "Not a bone of Him shall be
broken." And again another scripture says, "They shall look on
Him whom they have pierced."
After this Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but
secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take
away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him leave. So he came
and took away His body. Nicodemus also, who had at first come to
Him by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about
a hundred pounds' weight. They took the body of Jesus, and bound
it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of
the Jews. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a
garden, and in the garden a new tomb where no one had ever been
laid. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, as the tomb
was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.
The Veneration of the Cross
In the seventh century, the Church in Rome adopted the
practice of Adoration of the Cross from the Church in Jerusalem,
where a fragment of wood believed to be the Lord's cross had
been venerated every year on Good Friday since the fourth
century. According to tradition, a part of the Holy Cross was
discovered by the mother of the emperor Constantine, Saint
Helen, on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 326. A fifth century
account describes this service in Jerusalem. A coffer of
gold-plated silver containing the wood of the cross was brought
forward. The bishop placed the relic on the a table in the
chapel of the Crucifixion and the faithful approached it,
touching brow and eyes and lips to the wood as the priest said
(as every priest has done ever since): "Behold, the Wood of the
Cross".
Adoration or veneration of an image or representation of
Christ's cross does not mean that we are actually adoring the
material image, of course, but rather what it represents. In
kneeling before the crucifix and kissing it we are paying the
highest honor to the our Lord's cross as the instrument of our
salvation. Because the Cross is inseparable from His sacrifice,
in reverencing His Cross we are, in effect, adoring Christ. Thus
we affirm: "We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee because
by Thy Holy Cross Thou has Redeemed the World".
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