Today is Good Friday - the day when we recall Jesus's death on the cross. First of all, let's talk about what is good about Good Friday. I mean, really - shouldn't it be Tragic Friday? Or maybe Bad Friday? Or at least Not-So-Great Friday? Why Good Friday? Well, the simple answer is, Catholicism always looks at the big picture... and, big picture - there is no Easter Sunday without Good Friday. We don't have Jesus rising from the dead unless He first makes that ultimate sacrifice on Calvary. Good Friday happens so that Easter can happen. Kind of reminds me of the line in the Exultet (song that is sung at the beginning of the Easter Vigil Mass) that says "Oh happy fault" in reference to Adam and Eve's sin in the Garden of Eden - it's not happy that they sinned, but that sin brought about the most incredible act of love that the universe has ever seen (namely, Good Friday). Because of that original sin, we went from being God's [favoured] creation, to being even closer to him: His adopted sons and daughters - His beloved children. As the theological language goes, we are "sons [and daughters] in the One Son." Because of Good Friday and the Easter that it led to, we now share in the identity of Christ - He chooses to dwell in us, and, yeah, that's pretty awesome.
So, Good Friday is good. Some stuff to think about today:
1) Today is a day of fasting - if you are able to, you are encouraged to "Catholic fast:" to only have one regular sized meal and 2 smaller meals that together don't add up to a whole meal (like I said before - Fr. Rick says approximately 1.9 meals).
2) Today is also a day when we abstain from meat. So... Don't eat meat today. These (fasting and abstaining from meat) are both acts of sacrifice that we can unite to Christ's sacrifice. It also strengthens us in our ability to say no to ourselves (work out for our will power). Lastly, it is a recognition of the solemnity of the day, and of Jesus's sacrifice for us.
3) You may not be able to attend Mass today (COVID...), however, it would be good for you to at least pause at 3PM today (the time at which Jesus gave His life) and turn to God in gratitude, acknowledging His incredible sacrifice.
4) If you're able to attend, the Good Friday liturgy is really quite beautiful. Actually, it's pretty stark, but it's lack of pomp is one of the things that (I think) make it so cool. First of all, the altar is bare, and the tabernacle is empty (only day of the year where that happens). The opening procession enters in complete silence, and when they reach the front, the priests prostrate themselves (lie flat) in front of the sanctuary. There is no Eucharist consecrated on this day (communion is still distributed, but no new hosts are transubstantiated* today). The liturgy today also has the adoration (veneration) of the cross as part of it (not sure how they're going to do this with COVID though). All in all, it's a pretty awesome liturgy - if you've never been to one before, I highly recommend it!
One of the readings from yesterday's Mass has a really beautiful line in it: "having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end." (John 13:1) I love this line, because He really does love us to the end. There are no conditions on His love for us, nor is there any end to its depth. He goes all the way to Calvary for us, taking our sins upon Himself. If you have a chance today, pray the 14 stations of the cross (available here), and think about what He endured for us. For me. For you. This love is an invitation - consider, what is your response?
Hope this helps you to enter into Good Friday and grasp a little better what this day is really about. Ok, tomorrow, Holy Saturday, more to come!!
*see previous post for what this word means. What, you're too lazy to click and see what it says? Yeah, I get that. I might as well just tell you here - transubstantiate is a fancy word that means "turn the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ." This is what happens at every Mass that we attend.
