It's All Good:Reflections on Good Friday

When I was a kid, I always wondered why they called today Good Friday. It seemed to me that there was nothing good about killing Jesus. As an adult, I have since come to understand that we can't get to Easter without Good Friday, that Christ's death on the cross was a victory, not a defeat. I believe this is aptly portrayed in the scene in Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, when Satan is shown howling because he realizes that Christ has conquered sin.

Good Friday is a day of abstinence and fasting, however it is the only day of the year in which we don't celebrate Mass. Instead, we commemorate the death of Jesus with a liturgical service that contains several beautiful and unique practices. First, the priest and deacons process to the altar and prostrate themselves before the cross/altar. The liturgy of the word consists of the prophetic account of the Suffering Servant from Isaiah 52:13-53:12. The Responsorial Psalm is taken from Psalm 31. The Epistle is taken from the "high priest" account in Hebrews. The Gospel reading portrays the Passion of St. John.  Later in the service, the priest unveils the cross and parishioners are asked to come forward and venerate the cross with a bow, kiss or simple touch. The evening concludes with distribution of the Eucharist which had been previously consecrated.

Below you will find some resources for further study on Good Friday, including a video from Rome Reports.

That is the Good Friday, God and the Machine

The Response of the Cross, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

He Was Given Up For Death, Word on Fire, Father Robert Barron