FRIDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD
(Good Friday)
1. On this and the following day, by a most ancient tradition, the Church doesnot celebrate the Sacraments at all, except for Penance and the Anointing of theSick.
2. On this day, Holy Communion is distributed to the faithful only within thecelebration of the Lord’s Passion; but it may be brought at any hour of the dayto the sick who cannot participate in this celebration.
3. The altar should be completely bare: without a cross, without candles andwithout cloths.
The Celebration of the Passion of the Lord
4. On the afternoon of this day, about three o’clock (unless a later hour is chosenfor a pastoral reason), there takes place the celebration of the Lord’s Passionconsisting of three parts, namely, the Liturgy of the Word, the Adoration of theCross, and Holy Communion.
5. The Priest and the Deacon, if a Deacon is present, wearing red vestments asfor Mass, go to the altar in silence and, after making a reverence to the altar,prostrate themselves or, if appropriate, kneel and pray in silence for a while. Allothers kneel.
6. Then the Priest, with the ministers, goes to the chair where, facing the people,who are standing, he says, with hands extended, one of the following prayers,omitting the invitation Let us pray.
PRAYER
Remember your mercies, O Lord,
and with your eternal protection sanctify your servants,
for whom Christ your Son,
by the shedding of his Blood,
established the Paschal Mystery.
Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
R. Amen.
Or
O God, who by the Passion of Christ your Son, our Lord,
abolished the death inherited from ancient sin
by every succeeding generation,
grant that just as, being conformed to him,
we have borne by the law of nature
the image of the man of earth,
so by the sanctification of grace
we may bear the image of the Man of heaven.
Through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.
FIRST PART:
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
7. FIRST READING(He himself was wounded for our sins.) (Fourth oracleof the Servant of the Lord.)
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (52:13-53:12)
See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be raisedhigh and greatly exalted. Even as many were amazed athim—so marred was his look beyond human semblance,and his appearance beyond that of the sons of man—soshall he startle many nations, because of him kings shallstand speechless; for those who have not been told shallsee, those who have not heard shall ponder it.
Who would believe what we have heard? To whomhas the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up likea sapling before him, like a shoot from the parched earth;there was in him no stately bearing to make us look athim, nor appearance that would attract us to him. Hewas spurned and avoided by people, a man of suffering,accustomed to infirmity, one of those from whom peoplehide their faces, spurned, and we held him in no esteem.
Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferingsthat he endured, while we thought of him as stricken,as one smitten by God and afflicted. But he was piercedfor our offenses, crushed for our sins; upon him was thechastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we werehealed. We had all gone astray like sheep, each followinghis own way; but the Lord laid upon him the guilt of us all.
Though he was harshly treated, he submitted andopened not his mouth; like a lamb led to the slaughteror a sheep before the shearers, he was silent and openednot his mouth. Oppressed and condemned, he was takenaway, and who would have thought any more of hisdestiny? When he was cut off from the land of the living,and smitten for the sin of his people, a grave was assignedhim among the wicked and a burial place with evildoers,though he had done no wrong nor spoken any falsehood.But the Lord was pleased to crush him in infirmity.
If he gives his life as an offering for sin, he shall seehis descendants in a long life, and the will of the Lord shallbe accomplished through him.
Because of his affliction he shall see the light infullness of days; through his suffering, my servant shalljustify many, and their guilt he shall bear. Therefore I willgive him his portion among the great, and he shall dividethe spoils with the mighty, because he surrendered himselfto death and was counted among the wicked; and he shalltake away the sins of many, and win pardon for theiroffenses. —The Word of the Lord.
R. Thanks be to God.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM (31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-16, 17,25)
R. Father, into your hands I commend my spirit. (Lk 23:46)
In you, O Lord, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame.In your justice rescue me. Into your hands I commend myspirit; you will redeem me, O Lord, O faithful God. (R)
For all my foes I am an object of reproach, a laughingstockto my neighbors, and a dread to my friends; they whosee me abroad flee from me. I am forgotten like theunremembered dead; I am like a dish that is broken. (R)
But my trust is in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God. Inyour hands is my destiny; rescue me from the clutches ofmy enemies and my persecutors.” (R)
Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in yourkindness. Take courage and be stouthearted, all you whohope in the Lord. (R)
8. SECOND READING (Jesus learned obedience and became the source ofsalvation for all who obey him.)
A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews (4:14-16; 5:7-9)
Brothers and sisters: Since we have a great highpriest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, theSon of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we donot have a high priest who is unable to sympathize withour weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested inevery way, yet without sin. So let us confidently approachthe throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace fortimely help.
In the days when Christ was in the flesh, he offeredprayers and supplications with loud cries and tears tothe one who was able to save him from death, and hewas heard because of his reverence. Son though he was,he learned obedience from what he suffered; and whenhe was made perfect, he became the source of eternalsalvation for all who obey him. —The Word of the Lord.
R. Thanks be to God.
The narrative of the Lord’s Passion is read without candles and without incense,with no greeting or signing of the book. It is read by a Deacon or, if there is noDeacon, by a Priest. It may also be read by readers, with the part of Christ, ifpossible, reserved to a Priest.
Deacons, but not others, ask for the blessing of the Priest before singing thePassion, as at other times before the Gospel.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Phil 2:8-9)
R. Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Christ became obedient to the point of death, even deathon a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him andbestowed on him the name which is above every othername. (R)
9. Then the narrative of the Lord's Passion according to John (18:1-19:42) is readin the same way as on the preceding Sunday.
GOSPEL (The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ.)
The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John (18:1-19:42)
(J-Jesus; N-Narrator; O-Other Single Speaker; C-Crowd.)
N.Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidronvalley to where there was a garden, into which he andhis disciples entered. Judas his betrayer also knewthe place, because Jesus had often met there with hisdisciples. So Judas got a band of soldiers and guardsfrom the chief priests and the Pharisees and went therewith lanterns, torches and weapons. Jesus, knowingeverything that was going to happen to him, went outand said to them,
J.“Whom are you looking for?”
N.They answered him,
C.“Jesus the Nazorean.”
N.Jesus said to them,
J.“I AM.”
N.Judas his betrayer was also with them. When Jesussaid to them, “I AM,” they turned away and fell to theground. So Jesus again asked them,
J.“Whom are you looking for?”
N.They said,
C.“Jesus the Nazorean.”
N.Jesus answered,
J.“I told you that I AM. So if you are looking for me, letthese men go.”
N.This was to fulfill what Jesus had said, “I have not lostany of those you gave me.” Then Simon Peter, who hada sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cutoff his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. Jesussaid to Peter,
J.“Put your sword into its scabbard. Shall I not drinkthe cup that the Father gave me?”
N.So the band of soldiers, the tribune, and the Jewishguards seized Jesus, bound him, and brought him toAnnas first. Annas was the father-in-law of Caiaphas,who was high priest that year. It was Caiaphas whohad counseled the Jews that it was better that one manshould die rather than the people.
Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Nowthe other disciple was known to the high priest, and heentered the courtyard of the high priest with Jesus. ButPeter stood at the gate outside. So the other disciple,the acquaintance of the high priest, went out and spoketo the gatekeeper and brought Peter in. Then the maidwho was the gatekeeper said to Peter,
O.“You are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?”
N.Peter said,
O.“I am not.”
N.Now the slaves and the guards were standing arounda charcoal fire that they had made, because it was cold,and were warming themselves. Peter was also standingthere keeping warm.
The high priest questioned Jesus about his disciplesand about his doctrine. Jesus answered him,
J“I have spoken publicly to the world. I have alwaystaught in a synagogue or in the temple area whereall the Jews gather, and in secret I have said nothing.Why ask me? Ask those who heard me what I said tothem. They know what I said.”
N.When Jesus had said this, one of the temple guardsstanding there struck him and said,
O.“Is this the way you answer the high priest?”
N.Jesus answered him,
J.“If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong; but ifI have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?”
N.Then Annas sent Jesus bound to Caiaphas the highpriest.
Now Simon Peter was standing there keeping warm.And they said to Peter,
O.“You are not one of his disciples, are you?”
N.Peter denied it and said,
O.“I am not.”
N.One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the onewhose ear Peter had cut off , said,
O.“Didn’t I see you in the garden with him?”
N.Again Peter denied it. And immediately the cockcrowed.
Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to thepraetorium. It was morning. And they themselves didnot enter the praetorium, in order not to be defiled sothat they could eat the Passover. So Pilate came out tothem and said,
O.“What charge do you bring against this man?”
N.They answered and said to Pilate,
C.“If he were not a criminal, we would not have handedhim over to you.”
N.At this, Pilate said to them,
O.“Take him yourselves, and judge him according to yourlaw.”
N.The Jews answered him,
C.“We do not have the right to execute anyone,”
N.in order that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled thathe said indicating the kind of death he would die. SoPilate went back into the praetorium and summonedJesus and said to him,
O.“Are you the King of the Jews?”
N.Jesus answered,
J.“Do you say this on your own or have others told youabout me?”
N.Pilate answered,
O.“I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chiefpriests handed you over to me. What have you done?”
N.Jesus answered,
J.“My kingdom does not belong to this world. If mykingdom did belong to this world, my attendantswould be fighting to keep me from being handedover to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.”
N.So Pilate said to Jesus,
O.“Then you are a king?”
N.Jesus answered,
J.“You say I am a king. For this I was born and for thisI came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyonewho belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”
N.Pilate said to Jesus,
O.“What is truth?”
N.When Pilate had said this, he again went out to theJews and said to them,
O.“I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that Irelease one prisoner to you at Passover. Do you wantme to release to you the King of the Jews?”
N.They cried out again,
C.“Not this one but Barabbas!”
N.Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged. And thesoldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it onhis head, and clothed him in a purple cloak, and theycame to him and said,
C.“Hail, King of the Jews!”
N.And they struck him repeatedly. Once more Pilate wentout and said to them,
O.“Look, I am bringing him out to you, so that you mayknow that I find no guilt in him.”
N.So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and thepurple cloak. And Pilate said to them,
O.“Behold, the man!”
N.When the chief priests and the guards saw Jesus theycried out,
C.“Crucify him, crucify him!”
N.Pilate said to them,
O.“Take him yourselves and crucify him. I find no guilt inhim.”
N.The Jews answered,
C.“We have a law, and according to that law he ought todie, because he made himself the Son of God.”
N.Now when Pilate heard this statement, he became evenmore afraid, and went back into the praetorium andsaid to Jesus,
O.“Where are you from?”
N.Jesus did not answer him. So Pilate said to him,
O.“Do you not speak to me? Do you not know that I havepower to release you and I have power to crucify you?”
N.Jesus answered him,
J.“You would have no power over me if it had not beengiven to you from above. For this reason the one whohanded me over to you has the greater sin.”
N.Consequently, Pilate tried to release Jesus; but the Jewscried out,
C.“If you release him, you are not a friend of Caesar.
Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”
N.When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesusout and seated him on the judge’s bench in the placecalled Stone Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbatha. It wasPreparation Day for Passover, and it was about noon.
And Pilate said to the Jews.
O.“Behold, your king!”
N.They cried out,
C.“Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!”
N.Pilate said to them,
O.“Shall I crucify your king?”
N.The chief priests answered,
C.“We have no king but Caesar.”
N.Then Pilate handed Jesus over to them to be crucified.
So they took Jesus, and, carrying the cross himself,Jesus went out to what is called the Place of the Skull,in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified him, andwith him two others, one on either side, with Jesusin the middle. Pilate also had an inscription writtenand put on the cross. It read, “Jesus the Nazorean, theKing of the Jews.” Now many of the Jews read thisinscription, because the place where Jesus was crucifiedwas near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin,and Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate,
C.“Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that he said, ‘Iam the King of the Jews.’”
N.Pilate answered,
O.“What I have written, I have written.”
N.When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took hisclothes and divided them into four shares, a share foreach soldier. They also took his tunic, but the tunic wasseamless, woven in one piece from the top down. Sothey said to one another,
C.“Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be,”
N.in order that the passage of Scripture might be fulfilledthat says: They divided my garments among them, and formy vesture they cast lots. This is what the soldiers did.
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and hismother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary ofMagdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciplethere whom he loved he said to his mother,
J.“Woman, behold, your son.”
N.Then Jesus said to the disciple,
J.“Behold, your mother.”
N.And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
After this, aware that everything was now finished, inorder that the Scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said,
J.“I thirst.”
N.There was a vessel filled with common wine. So theyput a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop andput it up to Jesus' mouth. When Jesus had taken thewine, he said,
J.“It is finished.”
N.And bowing his head, Jesus handed over the spirit.
(Here all kneel down and pause for a short time.)
Now since it was Preparation Day, in order that thebodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and thatthey be taken down. So the soldiers came and brokethe legs of the first and then of the other one who wascrucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesusand saw that he was already dead, they did not breakhis legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,and immediately blood and water flowed out. Theeyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; heknows that he is speaking the truth, so that you alsomay come to believe. For this happened so that theScripture passage might be fulfilled: Not a bone of it willbe broken. And again another passage says: They will lookupon him whom they have pierced.