Celebration of the Passion of the Lord
3:00 PM
From the earliest ages, the Church on Good Friday has omitted the celebration of Mass, as a sign of mourning. A special liturgy is held instead – the Liturgy of the Passion – consisting in three basic elements: 1) a Liturgy of the Word, ending with general intercessions; 2) the ceremony of the “Veneration of the Cross”; 3) a service for reception of the Eucharist as previously consecrated at the evening Mass on Holy Thursday.*
The first reading from the prophet Isaiah 52:13-53:12) is one of the Suffering Servant songs. The prophet’s words offer a dramatic picture reflected in the sufferings of Christ “Without beauty, without majesty (we saw him) no looks to attract our eyes; a thing despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering, a man to make people screen their faces; he was despised and we took no account of him.”
In the second reading from the letter to the Hebrews (4:14-16; 5:7-9) we are reminded that in Jesus we have a high priest “who was tempted in every way that we are, though he is without sin…Though he was Son, he learnt to obey through suffering; but having been made perfect, he became for all those who obey him the source of eternal salvation.”
The Gospel, the account of the Passion according to John (18:1-19:42) is believed to have been the Gospel for Good Friday in the Roman Rite since the seventh or eighth century.2 The Gospel is usually read as a “dialogue” Gospel with the part of Our Lord being read by the priest and the part of the narrator and others being taken by other readers. In it we have the account of Pilate’s dialogue with Jesus and his amazement at Jesus’ calm words “You would have no power over me if it had not been given to you from above.” We also hear of Mary’s presence at the foot of the cross and Jesus’ words entrusting to her the beloved disciple “This is your son.” In Jesus’ words to the disciple “Behold your mother” we too are invited to make a place for Mary in our hearts.
The general intercessions in the Good Friday liturgy appear to have remained relatively unchanged for at least fifteen hundred years. A listing of petitions similar to those currently in use have been found in a passage written in the fifth century and appended to a letter of Pope Celestine I dating from around 431.3
The Veneration of the Cross originated in Jerusalem following the discovery of there of the true cross in the fourth century. It had spread to Rome by the seventh century. The ceremonial unveiling of the cross and the singing of the words “Behold the wood of the Cross” dates back to the twelfth century in Rome. During the Veneration of the Cross the Improperia (Reproaches) are sung. This consists of a series of Reproaches addressed by God to His people based from the words of the prophets Micah, Jeremiah and Isaiah interspersed firstly with the Refrain “My people, what have I done to you?” and then the Trasgion, an ancient Greek hymn possibly of apostolic origin “Holy is God! Holy and strong! Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us!” The Veneration of the Cross concludes with the hymn “Faithful Cross above all other”.
Following the Veneration of the Cross, the previously stripped altar is now covered with a cloth in order to make ready for the Communion Rite. The priest leaves the chapel and goes to the repository where he removes the ciborium, and wrapping it in the ends of a humeral veil around his shoulders, carries it back to the church with an acolyte carrying a candle. The Blessed Sacrament is borne to the altar in total silence. The priest places the ciborium on the altar and uncovers it while the acolyte places candles nearby. The celebrant invites the faithful to say the Our Father with him. This is followed by the usual prayer and response from the Ordinary of the Mass. The sign of peace and the Agnus Dei that ordinarily follows these prayers during the Mass are omitted. The priest quietly recites his private prayer of preparation, after which he genuflects; elevating one of the Hosts over the ciborium he says:
Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world.
Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.
The congregation responds:
Lord I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof,
but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
The celebrant consumes the Holy; Holy Communion is then given to the people. As the people make their thanksgiving following Holy Communion, the remaining Hosts are carried quietly out of the Church in a ciborium and taken to a suitable place for reservation until the Mass of the Easter Vigil.
Finally, the celebrant rises and says a concluding prayer. Extending his hands to the faithful he then blesses them.
The liturgy ended, all depart in silence. Afterward the altar is stripped.*
*see James Monti, The Week of Salvation, Our Sunday Visitor, Indiana, USA, 1993