Preparing Our Homes for Holy Week (Part III - Good Friday)

Preparing Our Homes for Holy Week - Part III

Good Friday

We are continuing with our third part of our four part series on how to observe Holy Week from our homes.  You can find our previous post on how to commemorate Holy Thursday here. 

Today we’re going to focus on the solemn observance of Good Friday. 
I have mixed feelings about Good Friday.  There is a solemnness to this day unlike any other.  If you’ve ever been to a Good Friday service you can practically feel this in the air as you walk into church.  The tabernacle stands wide open as our Eucharistic Lord has been placed in repose, there’s little music, no rejoicing.  There is a lot of sacred silence.  It’s almost as if within our churches and without, all of creation groans in pain as we remember the great chasm, the great divide that we created is mended together by the suffering and death of our Savior.  There is such a rich symbolism to what we as Catholics commemorate on this day, which is beautiful and sorrowful all at the same time.

So how do we, especially this year when we cannot directly participate in these somber services at church, enter into these mysteries of our faith?

There are a number of things which we can do from our homes in which to commemorate the day of our Lord’s death.

The first is to treat this day unlike any other day of the year.  It is a day where we should intentionally focus on Christ’s passion and death.  We should work to avoid distractions as much as necessary, especially from noon to 3 o’clock.  This is a great time to meditate on how our Lord suffered and died for us.  Read the Bible, especially the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ death, or Psalms 22, 31, 51 and 102. 

If you chose to listen to music, It would be good to listen to music that is sacred and contemplative.  Some suggestions include Lent at Ephesus by the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of the Apostles, (found on AmazonPrime or Spotify) and Psalm 88 by Danielle Rose. 

Some other ways to observe this day is by beginning the Divine Mercy Novena.  The Divine Mercy devotion is a beautiful way to beg for God’s mercy upon on world.  This novena, or nine days of prayer, begins on Good Friday, and concludes on the Sunday following Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday.  There are sung versions of the Divine Mercy Chaplet as well.

Good Friday is also a day when we can prayer in Adoration of the Cross.  You can set up a small altar or sacred space in your home, where you can gather together and pray before the crucifix.  You could read Isaiah 53:4-5.  Then pray, "Behold the wood of the Cross, on which hung the salvation of the world. Come let us adore."  Then each member of the household can venerate the cross with a touch or a kiss.  You can then conclude your prayers with the following:  "Lord, send abundant blessing upon your people who devoutly recall the death of your Son in the sure hope of the resurrection. Grant us pardon; bring us comfort. May our faith grow stronger and our eternal salvation be assured. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

Another great option would be to pray the Stations of the Cross.  There are some beautiful images on which to meditate upon when praying this devotion. 

Finally, if you’re looking for a way to incorporate food into Good Friday, you can make Hot Cross Buns.  These are little cinnamon and raisin yeast buns which have traditionally been eaten on Good Friday.  There are many stories surrounding this bread, including they were given to the poor by a monks on Good Friday, or that Queen Elizabeth I of England restricted their consumption to just Good Friday and Christmas.  No matter what the story is, they are a simple reminder of the cross upon which our Savior died. 

Hopefully you’ll find some great ideas here to commemorate Good Friday in your homes this year.  God bless you!