Holy Week/Good Friday
Good Friday.
Copyright 1891, by the Cathedral Library Association.
On Good Friday the grief of the Church is so deep that she forbids the offering of the salutary sacrifice, consequently there is no Mass in the services of to-day. The Church presents an appearance of sorrow and penance. The Altar is stripped of its ornaments; the Sanctuary is draped in black; the benches are uncovered; the candles are yellow. No salutes are given in the Sanctuary. The service consists of four parts: first the Lessons and the Passion; secondly, the Prayers; thirdly, the Veneration of the Cross; lastly, the Mass of the Pre-Sanctified.
I. The Lessons and the Passion.—The procession enters the Sanctuary, the celebrant and his ministers being vested in black. No lights, nor incense are carried. The ministers go to the foot of the Altar and prostrate themselves, praying in silence while the acolytes cover the Altar with a single cloth instead of the three which are always required when Mass is celebrated. The celebrant and ministers then rise, and the lessons are begun. A chanter sings a lesson from Osee in which the Lord invites the people to repentance and mercy, promises to receive them to mercy when they come with suitable dispositions, and intimates that the mosaic rites and sacrifices were valueless except so far as they were connected with that of Christ. The tract that follows relates to the Passion and foretells the second coming of Christ. Then follows a prayer reminding the Father of his justice towards Judas and his mercy towards the good thief and begging that every remnant of sin may be removed from us that we may rise again with Our Lord Jesus Christ. The sub-deacon reads a lesson from the book of Exodus, describing the institution of the Passover, a figure of the death of the Redeemer.
A tract composed of several passages taken from ɱ̍the 139th psalm, prophetic of the Passion and representing Our Redeemer praying to His Eternal Father, is then sung by the choir.
Three priests clad as deacons, but without dalmatics enter the Sanctuary to sing the dramatic recitation of the Passion, which is the history of the sufferings of the Saviour as recorded in the Gospel of St. John, the only Evangelist present at the awful scenes, and therefore giving testimony as an eye witness. For a description of the chant of this Passion, see the paper on "Tenebræ." At the conclusion the deacon sings a few verses, but without asking the blessing or having lights or incense.
It is usual for a sermon to be preached on the Passion on Good Friday. After the sermon follow the prayers.
II. The Prayers.—The Church following the example set her by the one Mediator of the world in his Passion, prays for all mankind, for all classes and persons, as Christ dying on the Cross offered up to his Eternal Father for all mankind prayers and supplications with a strong cry and tears. [Heb. V., 7.]
Each of these prayers is introduced by a few words which shows its object. The deacon bids the faithful kneel down, and the sub-deacon tells them to rise and unite in the prayers made by the priest who prays for all orders and degrees, for the whole Church; for the Holy Father, its visible head; for all bishops, priests, deacons and other clergy, for confessors, virgins, widows and all other congregated portions of the faithful; for temporal sovereigns; for catechumens; for the removal of error, of disease and famine; to entreat the liberation of captives; safe return of travellers; health for the sick; the safe arrival of all those who are upon the ocean; for the grace of conversion; for heretics, schismatics, for Jews also, that on this day of mercy, the blood which their fathers desired might be upon them and their children, might indeed come upon the descendants in streams of expiation and not in rills of burning. Here the deacon does not invite the faithful to kneel. The Church has no hesitation in offering up a prayer for the descendants of Jesus's executioners, but in doing so she refrains from genuflecting, because this mark of adoration was turned by the Jews into an insult against Our Lord during the Passion. She prays for his scoffers, but she shrinks from repeating the act wherewith they scoffed at Him. [Guéranger.]
Finally a prayer is offered for the Pagans who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.
III. The Veneration of the Cross.—After embracing the whole universe in her charity, the Church invites her children to an act of solemn reparation, the veneration of that Cross upon which the Most Precious Blood was poured forth. This holy ceremony was instituted at Jerusalem in the fourth century. Cardinal Wiseman says. "We have in this instance a ceremonial expressive of the triumph of Christianity, of the exaltation of its sacred emblem above every other badge, a proclamation of the principle that through it alone salvation was wrought, the vindication of it from ignominy and hatred which for three centuries has been its lot and the paying of a public debt of honor, tribute, love and veneration to Him who hung upon it in reparation of the blasphemy, and, in his disciples, persecution, wherewith he had been visited." The celebrant takes off the chasuble, the badge of his priesthood, in order that the reparation which he is the first to offer to the outraged Christ, may be made with all possible humility. Standing on the step near the Epistle side of the Altar with his face turned toward the people, he receives the cross from the deacon, and unveiling the upper part as far as the arms, he raises it and sings the words—"Ecce Lignum Crucis" Behold the wood of the Cross! Then joined by the deacon and sub-deacon he continues "on which hung the salvation of the world!" the people kneeling down and venerating the Cross while the choir sings these words "Venite adoremus" come let us adore. The first exposition, in a low tone of voice, represents the fear of the Apostles when first preaching the Cross not daring to speak of the great mystery, except to the few faithful disciples of Jesus. For the same reason the priest only slightly raises the Cross. This homage is intended as a reparation for the insults and injuries offered to Christ in the house of Caiphas. A second time the celebrant holds up the holy sign of our redemption higher than the first and sings in a higher note "Ecce lignum crucis," the deacon and sub-deacon joining in as before; the people again falling upon their knees, and the choir again singing Venite Adoremus. This second elevation signifies the Apostles extending their preaching after the descent of the Holy Ghost, and is intended as a reparation for the treatment received by Our Saviour in the Court of Pilate. The priest finally advances to the middle of the Altar, and removes the veil entirely from the Cross, elevating it more than at the two preceding times, and singing triumphantly on a still higher note "Ecce lignum crucis." The deacon and sub-deacon again uniting their voices with his, and the people falling upon their knees, while the choir sings Venite Adoremus. This third and unreserved manifestation represents the mystery of the Cross preached to the whole earth, and is intended as a reparation to Our Lord for the outrages of Calvary. The celebrant and the ministers having removed their shoes, advance successively towards the place where the crucifix has been laid, making three genuflections at intervals, and finally kissing the Cross. The clergy follow in due order. The chants used during this ceremony are most beautiful as well as most ancient. They are called "The reproaches," and at the end of each reproach, the Trisagion is sung in Latin and in Greek "Holy God, Holy Strong One, Holy Immortal have mercy on us!" Towards the end of the veneration of the Cross, the candles are lighted and the deacon spreads a corporal upon the Altar upon which the Blessed Sacrament is to be placed. Then follows the procession to the chapel in which the Host consecrated the day before has been kept. The deacon takes the chalice which contains the host and places it upon the Altar. The priest having adored the Blessed Sacrament, takes the chalice and proceeds in solemn procession to the High Altar. During the procession the triumphant hymn of the Cross "Vexilla regis" is sung. Then begins a broken and disordered service called
IV. The Mass of the Pre-Sanctified.—The priest receives the Sacred Host upon the paten while the deacon pours wine and water into the chalice. The offerings and the Altar are incensed as usual but to express the grief of the Church the celebrant is not incensed. He washes his hands, praying in secret, says the Orate fratres, the answer suscipiat being omitted, and then immediately in ferial tone sings the Pater Noster. Then he says aloud the prayer "Libera nos" which in every other Mass is said secretly. Before communicating himself, the priest invites the faithful to adore the Sacred Host. He raises it on high as Jesus was raised on the cross. Then he divides it into three parts, one of which he puts into the chalice, thus sanctifying the wine and water which he is to take after his communion, but without consecrating these elements. They receive a very special benediction similar to that which is attached to the garments worn by Our Saviour. After his communion he receives the particle with the wine and water, and washes his fingers saying in secret the prayer "Quod ore sumpsimus" thus terminating the Mass of the Pre-Sanctified.
The Vespers are said with the same mournful plainness as on Thursday, and during the day the faithful assemble to venerate the cross. In many churches the devotion of The Three Hours Agony is observed. During the services a short sermon is preached on each of the seven words of our Lord on the cross.