The day of Jesus' death and there is NO Mass today. There is no formal beginning or end to the Celebration of the Lord's Passion which begins at 3 p.m.; the hour of His death. This time also coincides with the exact time the lambs were slaughtered in the Temple of Jerusalem for the Passover feast.
The liturgy begins in complete silence and the priests and deacons simply enter. There are no candles and no cross. The altar is bear and the ministers prostrate before the altar. This symbolizes the grief and sorrow of the Church and reminds us that we are mere creatures.
The liturgy today gives us the reading of the Passion from St. John. His account presents sharp differences from the Passion narrative of Matthew, Mark and Luke. After prayers for the Church and the world the veneration of the Cross takes place. We come forward and kiss the cross to not just mourn the death of Jesus but to acknowledge that by his victory over the cross we are all led to glory.
Holy Communion is distributed from the consecrated hosts from Thursday night's liturgy.
A prayer is said and all are dismissed in silence.
What a fitting way to remember the day that Jesus gave up his life so we all may live.
Friday should not be a day of great partying and revelry. It is the appropriate day to fast and pray and reflect on the depth of Jesus and the Father's great love for us.
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