Good Friday

Click the links below to access these at home liturgies that you and your family can work through during Holy Week.
 

Palm Sunday  |  Holy Thursday  |  Good Friday  |  Easter Vigil

What you’ll need to make this celebration go smoothly:

• A cross without a Corpus (Jesus’ body) is preferable, although a crucifix will work too
• Linen to wrap the cross
• A Leader for the celebration
• Two additional readers, Reader One and Reader Two (recommended but not necessary)
• Printed copies for all who will be reading during the celebration or a phone/table/other device with a digital version for all readers
• Phone/Tablet/Other device to watch Bishop Bill’s meditation

Veneration of the Cross at last year's Good Friday service

Wrap the cross in the linen and place it on a surface in the middle of your gathering. Read over the various parts of this template before beginning. The celebration starts at 3:00PM with all standing.

Leader: 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.

All: Amen.

All sit for the readings.

Reader One: A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah

See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be raised high and greatly exalted.
Even as many were amazed at him so marred was his look beyond human semblance
and his appearance beyond that of the sons of man so shall he startle many nations,
because of him kings shall stand speechless; for those who have not been told shall see,
those who have not heard shall ponder it. Who would believe what we have heard?
To whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up like a sapling before him,
like a shoot from the parched earth; there was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him,
nor appearance that would attract us to him. He was spurned and avoided by people,
a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, one of those from whom people hide their faces,
spurned, and we held him in no esteem. Yet it was our infirmities that he bore,
our sufferings that he endured, while we thought of him as stricken,
as one smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our offenses,
crushed for our sins; upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole,
by his stripes we were healed. We had all gone astray like sheep,
each following his own way; but the LORD laid upon him the guilt of us all.

Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth;
like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers,
he was silent and opened not his mouth. Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away,
and who would have thought any more of his destiny? When he was cut off from the land of the living,
and smitten for the sin of his people, a grave was assigned him 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 see his descendants in a long life, and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him.

Because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of days;
through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear.
Therefore I will give him his portion among the great, and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty,
because he surrendered himself to death and was counted among the wicked;
and he shall take away the sins of many, and win pardon for their offenses. The Word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God

Reader One: Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

All: Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

Reader One: In you, O LORD, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your justice rescue me. Into your hands I commend my spirit; you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.

All: Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

Reader One: For all my foes I am an object of reproach, a laughingstock to my neighbors, and a dread to my friends; they who see me abroad flee from me. I am forgotten like the unremembered dead;
I am like a dish that is broken.

All: Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

Reader One: But my trust is in you, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.
In your hands is my destiny; rescue me from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors.”

All: Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

Reader One:  Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your kindness.
Take courage and be stouthearted, all you who hope in the LORD.

All: Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

Reader Two: A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews

Brothers and sisters: since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens,
Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin.
So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.

In the days when Christ was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears
to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.

Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect,
he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

The Word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.

Leader: Glory and praise to You O Lord Jesus Christ

All: Glory and praise to You O Lord Jesus Christ

Reader One: Christ became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every other name.

All: Glory and praise to You O Lord Jesus Christ

Reader One: The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John
Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to where there was a garden,
into which he and his disciples entered. Judas his betrayer also knew the place,
because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.
So Judas got a band of soldiers and guards the chief priests and the Pharisees
and went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.
Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him went out and said to them,

Leader: “Whom are you looking for?”

Reader One: They answered him,

All: “Jesus the Nazorean.”

Reader One: He said to them,

Leader: “I AM.”

Reader One: Judas his betrayer was also with them. When he said to them, “I AM,”

they turned away and fell to the ground. So he again asked them,

Leader: “Whom are you looking for?”

Reader One: They said,

All: “Jesus the Nazorean.”

Reader One: Jesus answered,

Leader: “I told you that I AM.
So if you are looking for me, let these men go.”

Reader One: This was to fulfill what he had said, “I have not lost any of those you gave me.”
Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear.
The slave’s name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter,

Leader: “Put your sword into its scabbard. Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?”

Reader One: So the band of soldiers, the tribune, and the Jewish guards seized Jesus,
bound him, and brought him to Annas first. He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, 

who was high priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had counseled the Jews
that it was better that one man should die rather than the people.
Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Now the other disciple was known to the high priest,
and he entered the courtyard of the high priest with Jesus.
But Peter stood at the gate outside. So the other disciple, the acquaintance of the high priest,
went out and spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter in. 

Then the maid who was the gatekeeper said to Peter,

Reader Two: “You are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?”

Reader One: He said,

Reader Two: “I am not.”

Reader One: Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal fire that they had made, because it was cold, and were warming themselves.
Peter was also standing there keeping warm. The high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his doctrine. Jesus answered him,

Leader: “I have spoken publicly to the world. I have always taught in a synagogue
or in the temple area where all the Jews gather, and in secret I have said nothing. Why ask me?
Ask those who heard me what I said to them. They know what I said.”

Reader One: When he had said this, one of the temple guards standing there struck Jesus and said,

Reader Two: “Is this the way you answer the high priest?”

Reader One: Jesus answered him,

Leader: “If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong; 

but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?”

Reader One: Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
Now Simon Peter was standing there keeping warm.
And they said to him,

All: “You are not one of his disciples, are you?”

Reader One: He denied it and said,

Reader Two: “I am not.”

Reader One: One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said,

Reader Two: “Didn’t I see you in the garden with him?”

Reader One: Again Peter denied it. And immediately the cock crowed.
Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium. It was morning.
And they themselves did not enter the praetorium,
in order not to be defiled so that they could eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and said,

Reader Two: “What charge do you bring against this man?”

Reader One: They answered and said to him,

All: “If he were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.”

Reader One: At this, Pilate said to them,

Reader Two: “Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law.”

Reader One: The Jews answered him,

All: “We do not have the right to execute anyone,”

Reader One: in order that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled
that he said indicating the kind of death he would die.
So Pilate went back into the praetorium and summoned Jesus and said to him,

Reader Two: “Are you the King of the Jews?”

Reader One: Jesus answered,

Leader: “Do you say this on your own or have others told you about me?”

Reader One: Pilate answered,

Reader Two: “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me.
What have you done?”

Reader One: Jesus answered,

Leader: “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world,
my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.
But as it is, my kingdom is not here.”

Reader One: So Pilate said to him,

Reader Two: “Then you are a king?”

Reader One: Jesus answered,

Leader: “You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

Reader One: Pilate said to him,

Reader Two: “What is truth?”

Reader One: When he had said this, he again went out to the Jews and said to them,

Reader Two: “I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at Passover. Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”

Reader One: They cried out again,

All: “Not this one but Barabbas!”

Reader One: Now Barabbas was a revolutionary. Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged.
And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head, and clothed him in a purple cloak, and they came to him and said,

All: “Hail, King of the Jews!”

Reader One: And they struck him repeatedly. Once more Pilate went out and said to them,

Reader Two: “Look, I am bringing him out to you, so that you may know that I find no guilt in him.”

Reader One: So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cloak. And he said to them,

Reader Two: “Behold, the man!”

Reader One: When the chief priests and the guards saw him they cried out,

All: “Crucify him, crucify him!”

Reader One: Pilate said to them,

Reader Two: “Take him yourselves and crucify him. I find no guilt in him.”

Reader One: The Jews answered,

All: “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die, 

because he made himself the Son of God.”

Reader One: Now when Pilate heard this statement, he became even more afraid, 

and went back into the praetorium and said to Jesus,

Reader Two: “Where are you from?”

Reader One: Jesus did not answer him. So Pilate said to him,

Reader Two: “Do you not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you
and I have power to crucify you?”

Reader One: Jesus answered him,

Leader: “You would have no power over me if it had not been given to you from above.
For this reason the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.”

Reader One: Consequently, Pilate tried to release him; but the Jews cried out,

All: “If you release him, you are not a Friend of Caesar.
Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”

Reader One: When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus out and seated him on the judge’s bench
in the place called Stone Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbatha.
It was preparation day for Passover, and it was about noon. And he said to the Jews,

Reader Two: “Behold, your king!”

Reader One: They cried out,

All: “Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!”

Reader One: Pilate said to them,

Reader Two: “Shall I crucify your king?”

Reader One: The chief priests answered,

All: “We have no king but Caesar.”

Reader One: Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.
So they took Jesus, and, carrying the cross himself, he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull,
in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others,
one on either side, with Jesus in the middle.
Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read,
“Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews.” Now many of the Jews read this inscription,
because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city. and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate,

All: “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that he said, ‘I am the King of the Jews’.”

Reader One: Pilate answered,

Reader Two: “What I have written, I have written.”

Reader One: When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four shares, a share for each soldier. They also took his tunic, but the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top down. So they said to one another,

All: “Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be,”

Reader One: in order that the passage of Scripture might be fulfilled that says: They divided my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots. This is what the soldiers did. Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved he said to his mother,

Leader: “Woman, behold, your son.”

Reader One: Then he said to the disciple,

Leader: “Behold, your mother.”

Reader One: And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said,

Leader: “I thirst.”

Reader One: There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,

Leader: “It is finished.”

Reader One: And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.

Here all kneel and pause for a short time.

Reader One: Now since it was preparation day, in order that the bodies 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 that they be taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first
and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out. An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; he knows that he is speaking the truth, so that you also may come to believe. For this happened so that the Scripture passage might be fulfilled: Not a bone of it will be broken. And again another passage says: They will look upon him whom they have pierced. After this, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it. So he came and took his body. Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about one hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom. Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried. So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by.
The Gospel of the Lord.

All: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

We invite you to watch Bishop Wack’s video message for Good Friday below.

Then as a household, discuss the following questions:

Question One: "Hail the Cross, our only hope" is the motto of the Congregation of the Holy Cross. How are these times calling you to place all of your hope in the cross?

Question Two: Good Friday is always a moment we feel the need for conversion, to put away sin and cling to the Lord. As you look upon the cross, in what way do you feel that particular call to conversion in your life?
 

The Solemn Intercessions
We suggest pausing briefly after each of the ten intercessions to fervently pray for that intention in the silence of your heart.

Leader: Let us pray, dearly beloved, for the holy Church of God, that our God and Lord be pleased to give her peace, to guard her and to unite her throughout the whole world
and grant that, leading our life in tranquility and quiet, we may glorify God the Father almighty.

Reader One:  Let us pray also for our most Holy Father Pope Francis,
that our God and Lord, who chose him for the Order of Bishops,
may keep him safe and unharmed for the Lord’s holy Church, to govern the holy People of God.

Reader Two: Let us pray also for our Bishop, William, for all Bishops, Priests, and Deacons of the Church
and for the whole of the faithful people.

Leader: Let us pray also for catechumens, that our God and Lord
may open wide the ears of their inmost hearts and unlock the gates of his mercy,
that, having received forgiveness of all their sins through the waters of rebirth,
they, too, may be one with Christ Jesus our Lord.

Reader One:  Let us pray also for all our brothers and sisters who believe in Christ,
that our God and Lord may be pleased, as they live the truth,
to gather them together and keep them in his one Church.

Reader Two: Let us pray also for the Jewish people, to whom the Lord our God spoke first,
that he may grant them to advance in love of his name and in faithfulness to his covenant.

Leader: Let us pray also for those who do not believe in Christ, that, enlightened by the Holy Spirit,
they, too, may enter on the way of salvation.

Reader One: Let us pray also for those who do not acknowledge God, that, following what is right in sincerity of heart, they may find the way to God himself.

Reader Two: Let us pray also for those in public office, that our God and Lord
may direct their minds and hearts according to his will for the true peace and freedom of all.

Leader: Let us pray, dearly beloved, to God the Father almighty,
that he may cleanse the world of all errors, banish disease, drive out hunger,
unlock prisons, loosen fetters, granting to travelers safety, to pilgrims return,
health to the sick, and salvation to the dying.

Reader One: Let us pray, dearly beloved, for a swift end
to the coronavirus pandemic that afflicts our world,
that our God and Father will heal the sick,
strengthen those who care for them,
and help us all to persevere in faith.

All: Amen.

The Veneration of the Cross

Leader: Behold the wood of the Cross on which hung the salvation of the world.

(The Leader then exposes a small portion of the Cross while still covering the rest)

All: Come let us adore.

Leader: Behold the wood of the Cross on which hung the salvation of the world.

(The Leader then exposes another portion of the Cross while covering a small part still)

All: Come let us adore.

Leader: Behold the wood of the Cross on which hung the salvation of the world

(The Leader then removes the entire linen that was covering the Cross and raises it up)

All: Come let us adore.

The Leader now puts down the Cross and the household maintains a period of silence. Each member of the household may now kiss or reverence the Cross. When all have finished adoring the cross all join together with the following antiphon:

All: We adore your Cross, O lord, we praise and glorify your holy Resurrection,

For behold, because of the wood of a tree joy has come to the whole world.

May God have mercy on us and bless us; may he let his face shed its light upon us and have mercy on us.

Leader: Let us know pray in the words our Savior taught us

All: Our Father who art in heaven…

Act of Spiritual Communion
After the Our Father all household members are invited to make an Act of Spiritual Communion using the following formula. To prepare your hearts, take some moments of silence before reciting this together.

All: My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, 
and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, 
come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.

After a few more moments of silence to contemplate receiving the Lord spiritually, all rise to conclude this celebration.

Leader: May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.

All: Amen.