Learn More:
> Pope Francis' homily on Cleansing of the Temple
> Bishop Barron--Cleansing the Temple
> The Deeper Meaning of Jesus Cleansing the Temple
> Cleansing the Temple and Economics
Chrism Mass. During Holy Week the bishop and priests of a diocese gather to consecrate or
bless the sacred oils which will be used in various sacraments and blessings during the coming
year. Traditionally, this “Chrism Mass” is held on the morning of Holy Thursday, but in many
American dioceses it is held on another day during the week.
The Catholic church uses three types of sacred oil: Sacred Chrism (indicated by the initials SC)
which is used in the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders; Oil of Catechumens
(indicated by the initials OS, from the Latin for sacred oil, “oleum sanctum”) which is also used in
the sacrament if Baptism and the Oil of the Infirm (commonly called “Oil of the Sick” and indicated
by the initials OI) which is used in the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.
The oils blessed at the Chrism Mass are brought back to local parish churches where they are
often presented to the parish during a procession at the Holy Thursday evening Mass and then
stored in a cabinet called the “ambry”, located near the baptismal font.
Learn More:
> The Use of Sacramental Oils
> Instructions for the Blessing of Holy Oils
> Instructions for the Reception of Holy Oils in the Parish
Good Friday. The first day of the Triduum is Good Friday. The whole Church mourns the death of its Savior. This is traditionally a day of sadness, spent in quiet and prayer. It is an obligatory day of fasting and abstinence for Catholics.
There is no Mass on Good Friday; the liturgy of the day is the most somber of the entire Church year—restrained and straightforward. The altar is bare, without cloths, candles or cross. There are no greetings, genuflections, opening songs, or processions. We simply come and prostrate in humble submission before the Word and the glorious cross of Christ. The solemn liturgy for Good Friday includes the reading of the Lord's passion from St. John's Gospel (John 18.1-19.42), veneration of the cross, and distribution of Communion which has been reserved from a previous Mass. Many parishes also schedule the Way of the Cross devotion on Good Friday and Hispanic communities celebrate the Via Crucis, a vivid re-enactment of the passion and crucifixion.
St. John Chrysostom explained the goodness of this day when he wrote: "First, the Cross stood for contempt, but today it is something venerable; before it was the symbol of condemnation, today it is the hope of salvation. It has truly become a source of infinite good; it has freed us from error, it has dispelled our shadows, it has reconciled us with God, it has transformed us from being enemies of God to being members of his family, from being strangers to being his neighbors."
The title for this day varies in different parts of the world: in Latin nations it is called "Holy Friday;" Slavs and Hungarians call it "Great Friday;" in Germany it is called "Friday of Mourning;" and in Norway, it is known as "Long Friday." Some view the term "Good Friday" (used in English and Dutch) as a corruption of the term "God's Friday." In Ireland, many Catholics practice the "black fast," which is to consume nothing but black tea and water.
In any case, it is the day which commemorates an awful event which, by the grace of God, turns out to be unimaginably good.
Good Friday Prayer
May abundant blessing, O Lord, we pray, descend upon your people, who have honored the Death of your Son in the hope of their resurrection: may pardon come, comfort be given, holy faith increase, and everlasting redemption be made secure. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Good Friday Reflection
The crucifixion of Jesus reveals the myth of sacred violence. Think about the ways in which you cooperate with forms of violence which are considered necessary or justified.
Learn More:
> Nine Things You Need to Know About Good Friday
> The Five Lessons of Good Friday
> Fr. Robert Barron’s reflection, “Why Was the Cross Necessary?
> Imaginative Prayer Exercise for Good Friday
> Jesus’ Seven Last Words
Veneration of the Cross. This practice is an integral part of the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion
on Good Friday. When possible, the faithful approach the cross or crucifix, kneel and touch or kiss
it in a gesture of reverence. Reverence for the cross originated in the discovery of the “true cross”
buried in a hillside outside Jerusalem in the early fourth century. Legend says it was discovered by
Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine. The practice of venerating the cross on Good Friday
began in Jerusalem shortly after the dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 335ce. The
practice, like alleged relics of the cross itself, gradually spread throughout the church and was
being observed in Rome before the end of the seventh century. It was formally incorporated into
the Good Friday liturgy in the early eighth century.
Way of the Cross. This devotion (also called “Stations of the Cross”) is a common devotional
practice performed throughout the Lenten season and often as an adjunct to the solemn Liturgy of
the Lord's Passion on Good Friday. It originated among early Christians who found spiritual value
in re-tracing Jesus’ path along the via dolorosa (“way of sorrow”) from Pilate’s court to the site of
the crucifixion on Calvary. Whern participation in this devotion became impractical for the average
person, Christians began constructing the Way of the Cross inside or outside local parish
churches, chapels and shrines. The Catholic Church standardized the traditional form of the
Stations in the 18th century. Today the devotion consists of fourteen “stations,” represented by
paintings, sculptures or plaques depicting the events of Christ’s Passion. Participants, or a
representative of the community, pass from one Station to the next, reciting prayers and meditating
on the saving events of Jesus’ passion and death. In Rome, a tradition of praying the Stations of
the Cross publicly in the Colosseum on Good Friday dates back to the Holy Year of 1750; the
custom was revived by Pope Paul VI in 1964 and has been continued by his successors.
Via Crucis. In Hispanic Catholic culture, the traditional “Via Crucis” dates back to colonial times,
when Spanish and Portuguese missionaries introduced the Way of the Cross to the Americas. The
emphasis on the suffering and death of Jesus in Spanish devotional theology, combined with the
social and political condition of the new converts, made the annual Via Crucis a particularly
evocative and powerful spiritual experience. The devotion is replicated in Latino Catholic
communities today, and the entire community is often involved in planning and re-enacting the
Lord's passion on Good Friday.
Learn More:
> The Uncomfortable Truth in the Stations of the Cross
> The Mystery of the Cross
> Examen-style Meditate on the Stations of the Cross
> Find a variety of prayers for the Way of the Cross here.
• • •
Holy Saturday. Holy Saturday begins in much the same way as Good Friday -- as a day of solemn silence and quiet hope -- a day of waiting, broken by no liturgical function.[Last Update: 04.16.19]