silence
And when Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, He gave up His spirit.
(Matthew 27:50)
i know that it seems strange to say this, but one of my favorite parts of Holy Week is Good Friday. its solemnity & introspection. the realization. the personal responsibility, yes, but also the indefinable gratitude.
the Tenebrae service is so different from every other service. it is dark. it is sad. it is humbling.
there are readings, both Old Testament prophecies, and those from the Passion. there are somber hymns sung. and one by one, the candles are extinguished as Christ's last words are spoken.
there is no offering taken, because there is nothing we can give to repay that which we have received.
by the time the service is coming to an end, we are in complete darkness. the Christ candle is removed from the Church. we hear of Jesus' body being placed in the tomb. and then, in the darkness, we hear the loud bang of the tomb being shut.
The Lord's Prayer is whispered. the congregation leaves in absolute silence & utter darkness. save for the flickering of the Christ candle in the foyer.
it is finished...
What punishment so strange is suffered yonder!
The Shepherd dies for sheep that loved to wander;
The Master pays the debt His servants owe Him,
Who would not know Him.
The sinless Son of God must die in sadness;
The sinful child of man may live in gladness;
Man forfeited his life and is acquitted, -
God is committed.
("O Dearest Jesus, What Law Hast Thou Broken," v.4-5, The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941)
2 with their own thoughts:
The most powerful thing for me is that on Good Friday, after the Mass of the pre-sanctified is over, Jesus isn't here anymore. All of the Sacrament is consumed, and He's left us... just like after he died. There is slightly less impact when the Orthodox Easter is a week later; I know that *somewhere* He's around in *their* Sacrament, but this year, our Easters are on the same day. So he really will be gone from Earth for a while. It's a weird thing to walk into a Catholic church and not see the little red candle indicating that the Sacrament is there. It's *always* there. Except today and tomorrow...
Even still, it gives me just a small glimpse into what the disciples felt. We know He'll be back on Easter. They thought they were on their own forever.
I sat through our two hour mass. I too sat in silence with great appreciation of what Jesus did for us. However I found my attention span was near zero. Maybe it was the two year old and the infant sitting behind me that as a mom I notice every peep. I was amazed how well behaved and quiet they were for two hours straight!
I did not pay out money in the offering our church took. I don't think it was right to ask us for it.
I was a little annoyed that the line for the touching and/or kissing of the cross took a half hour in itself.
But I left church with the feeling of being thankful
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