Some Good Friday Basics

Good Friday

 

 

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By Scott P. Richert

Catholicism Expert

By Scott P. Richert

Updated February 24, 2016.

Good Friday, the Friday before Easter Sunday, commemorates the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross. Good Friday is the second day of the Easter Triduum, the period from the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday through Easter Sunday.

Quick Facts

• Date: The Friday before Easter Sunday; see When Is Good Friday? for the date of Good Friday this year.
• Type of Feast: Commemoration. (See Is Good Friday a Holy Day of Obligation? for more details.)
• Readings: Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-16, 17, 25; Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9; John 18:1-19:42 (full text here)
• Prayers: The Litany of Humility; Prayer Before a Crucifix; Divine Mercy Novena
• Other Names for the Feast: Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday

The History of Good Friday

Good Friday is the day on which Jesus Christ, having been betrayed by Judas and sentenced to death by Pontius Pilate, was crucified for the sins of mankind.
From the earliest days of Christianity, no Mass has been celebrated on Good Friday, since the Mass is a celebration both of the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross and of His Resurrection.

 

Instead, the Church celebrates a special liturgy in which the account of the Passion according to the Gospel of John is read, a series of intercessory prayers (prayers for special intentions) are offered, and the faithful venerate the Cross by coming forward and kissing it. The Good Friday liturgy concludes with the distribution of Holy Communion. Since there was no Mass, Hosts that were reserved from the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday are distributed instead.

The service on Good Friday is particularly solemn; the organ is not played, and all vestments are red or (in the Traditional Latin Mass) black.
Since the date of Good Friday is dependent on the date of Easter, it changes from year to year. (See When Is Easter? and How Is the Date of Easter Calculated? for more details.)

Fasting and Abstinence

In the Catholic Church, Good Friday is a day of strict fasting and abstinence. Catholics over the age of 18 and under the age of 60 are required to fast, which means that they can eat only one complete meal and two smaller ones during the day, with no food in between. Catholics who are over the age of 14 are required to refrain from eating any meat, or any food made with meat, on Good Friday.