Opening Prayer:
Let us pray.
Father, look with love on your people,
the love which our Lord Jesus Christ showed
us
when he delivered himself up
and suffered the agony of the cross,
for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
We enter the liturgy on Good Friday in
silence. We don't need a "gathering rite." It is as though
we have been "gathered" since the night before. The first act of
the liturgy is for the Presider and ministers to lay face down before the
cross, in silence. As with all liturgical rituals, that invites us
to lay prostrate before the cross as well. That takes some preparation.
We can prepare to begin the Good Friday celebration by reflecting upon
ourselves laying there - with all the feelings we want to identify and
pay attention to. Our feelings may not be consistent or even inspiring.
I might feel awe, gratitude, guilt, powerlessness, all at once. In
my reflection preparing for Good Friday, I prepare that brief silent moment
at the beginning of the service. Perhaps I will want to simply open
my hands when the Presider lays face down and say "I know this is all forme;
thank you."
The Word.
The readings take on a power today, from the
quiet and solemnity of the service. Read the Daily Reflection to
the right to chew them more deeply.
The General Intercessions.
These prayers, and their style, are perhaps
the oldest liturgical ritual we have. They link us to the prayer
of our sisters and brothers down through the centuries. They also
give us a sense of our long tradition of public prayer. The Presider
makes an invitation to pray - saying who it is we pray for and what it
is that we ask. We respond to the invitation with our silent prayer.
Then, the Presider prays out loud in our name, first praising God and naming
how God has been loving and caring for the person or need we present, then
asking for a particular grace. We affirm that prayer with our "Amen."
We could prepare for these great intercession by reflection on our prayer
for each of the people and needs to the right. That will help us
with our responding to the invitation to pray in silence, and to appreciate
the powerful words of these ancient prayers.
Venerating The Cross.
To "venerate" is becoming a lost experience
to many of our cultures. In our growing "equal-itarianism," we want and
expect everyone to be "equal" (which is a good thing). But, sometimes
it is at the expense of reverence. To revere a wise person, an extraordinary
role model, or someone who has struggled heroically, is still very important.
And part of that is to have reverence for places or objects or symbols
which are full of meaning and very special significance for us, because
they re-connect us with relationships. Visiting the place where I
grew up, holding a new born baby, treasuring a gift from a loved one, seeing
a photograph or piece of art that stirs my spirit, and a thousand other
places and things, all can become "religious" and objects of veneration.
We revere and venerate the wood of the cross,
because our Savior was nailed there, and gave his life for us there.
Preparing for this special veneration on Good Friday is very important.
We may want to pray by making the Stations of the Cross, in our church,
or in the privacy of our home, or with the Online version to the right.
We want to be prepared to touch, kiss, embrace the cross with the greatest
devotion we can express. We want our gesture to be able to ritualize
our acceptance for the love, forgiveness and everlasting life that flows
from that cross. We want to feel the love of Jesus, to feel it as
being "for me," and to express our grateful response as reverence.
Receiving the Eucharist from
the Holy Thursday
Celebration of the Lord's Supper.
We fast from celebrating the Eucharist today,
but we are gathered by the Spirit to re-connect with our celebration of
the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday. We do not want to forget what
that liturgy continues to mean for us. This is the bread that gives
life. This is his self-giving love for us. This is our nourishment
for our mission.
Departing in Silence, Again.
With closing prayer and a blessing, we again
depart in silence. We are a people who are full of faith, but who
continue to wait for the fullness of our redemption. Our leaving
in silence links this celebration to the Easter Vigil, as our beginning
in silence connected us with Holy Thursday.
Let us pray.
Almighty and eternal God,
you have restored us to life
by the triumphant death and resurrection of
Christ.
Continue this healing work within us.
May we who participate in this mystery
never cease to serve you.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Amen.
Let us pray for God's blessing.
Lord,
send down your abundant blessing
upon us who have devoutly recalled the death
of your Son
in the sure hope of the resurrection.
Grant us pardon; bring us comfort.
May our faith grow stronger
and our eternal salvation be assured.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
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Good Friday
Isaiah 52:13--53:12
Psalms 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-17, 25
Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
John 18:1--19:42
Link
to the texts
for
the readings
for
Good Friday
Daily
Reflection
Link
to the
reflection
for
Good Friday
General Intercessions:
For the Church ...
For the Pope ...
For the clergy
and laity of the Church ...
For those preparing for baptism ...
For the unity of Christians ...
For the Jewish people ...
For those who do not believe in Christ ...
For those who do not believe in God ...
For all in public office ...
For those in special need ...
Behold the wood
of the cross
on which hung
the Savior of the world.
Come, let us worship!
Online
Stations
of
the Cross
Stations
from the
Jesuit
chapel
at
the Univ. of
Central
America
in
San Salvador
Dear Lord,
as I approach
your cross,
I am like
the disciples
who ran.
I love
you
and I
want to
be a good
servant,
but getting
close to
your cross
is difficult.
I'm not
sure why.
I want
to say that
it is
just a struggle
to let
you die for me.
But there
is more.
I resist
responding
gratefully.
I resist
seeing
in your
death
the mystery
of
my life.
When I
behold
you there
on the
cross
I see
the meaning
of life.
You are
completely
who you
are
there.
Giving
your life away
you receive
it.
The grain
of wheat
falling
to the ground
and dying.
I see the
meaning
of my
life.
To love
as
I have
been loved
by you.
To be
your disciple
is to
take up
my meaning
and to
follow you.
To receive
my life
only by
giving it away
is to
bear fruit
that will
last.
As I embrace
your cross
please
give me the grace
to place
me life in your hands
and become
day by day
a servant
of your own
mission.
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