Good Friday: The Celebration of the Lord’s Death

This Liturgy is starkly, but beautifully, simple.  There are four sections to it; the simple Introduction, the Liturgy of the Word including the long General Intercessions, the Veneration of the Cross and then the reception of Communion from Eucharist consecrated at the Mass of Holy Thursday.

The Liturgy begins in silence at 3.00 pm which was the time of Jesus’ death.  The priest and other ministers prostrate themselves silently.  The people kneel.  All pray silently.  The priest then prays the opening Prayer of the day.

The Liturgy of the Word consists of the fourth Song of the Suffering Servant from the prophet Isaiah – this is sometimes called the fifth account of the Passion of Jesus!  The responsorial psalm is Psalm 30 with the response: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”.  There then follows the second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews.

On this day we always read the account of Jesus’ passion from the Gospel of St John.  It is rather different from the other three because John presents Jesus as in charge and already moving towards the moment of his life’s completion in his death.  The words he will say at the end are: “It is consummated”.  The homily follows.

Then comes a very long set of intercessions.  These may be adapted.  On this day they should be longer than usual and pray for the whole world for which the Lord died.

The different liturgical action of this day is the Veneration of the Cross.  The Crucifix is the focus of this part of the Liturgy and involves the whole of the people in venerating the cross of the Crucified Christ.  The cross is presented to the People with the words: “This is the wood of the cross on which is hung the Saviour of the world” (or similar words).  The ministers and the people are then invited to venerate the cross.

Finally, we have communion using hosts which were consecrated at the Mass of Holy Thursday.  We do not have Mass this day or on Holy Saturday until the Easter Vigil begins.  This creates a link which recognises that all of these three liturgies are the one celebration.  This communion harks back to Holy Thursday as Holy Thursday pointed to the death of Jesus on Good Friday.  And both culminate in the resurrection which we celebrate at the Easter Vigil.

By Fr Frank O’Loughlin

 

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