THROUGH THE AGES

Following Pilate’s sentence, was led away to be crucified, according to all four gospels. This type of execution was not at all uncommon then. Romans adopted the custom from Carthage and used it for slaves, rebels, and especially despised enemies and criminals. Con- demned Roman citizens were usually exempt from crucifixion except for high crimes against the state, such as treason. Crucifixion was considered an ignominious way to die. The victim was first scourged with a ‘flagellum’ to weaken them before he was hung on the cross. Near the top of the cross was affixed the ‘titulus’ or inscription identifying the criminal and the cause of his execution. Death by crucifixion was painful and protracted. It seldom occurred before thirty-six hours, sometimes took as long as nine days, and resulted from hunger and traumatic exposure. If it was decided to hasten the death of the victim, his legs were smashed with a heavy club or hammer. However, Jesus died within just a few hours. The New Testament, rather than dwelling on this painful death, simply recounts that “they crucified him”. Giving the victim a proper burial following death on the cross, during the Roman period was rare and in most cases simply not permitted in order to continue the humiliation. Thus the victim was in many cases simply thrown on the garbage dump of the city or left on the cross as food for wild beasts and birds of prey. CATHOLIC AND ANGLICAN TRADITIONS What Patrick has written below concerning the celebration of Good Friday in the Anglican Church is equally true of the Catholic Church before the 1955 Reform of Pius XII: The Church did not specify a particular rite to be observed on Good Friday but local custom came to mandate an assortment of services. In the Catholic traditions, these ‘local customs’ varied from ‘The Seven Last Words’, the ‘Tre Ore’, the Stations of the Cross, Sermons on the Five Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, and a host of other exercises of popular devotion. But there continued to exist an ‘Official Liturgy’ practiced in many cases by a very small minority, sometimes the clergy only. Pope Pius XII’s Reform of the Holy Week Liturgy stated “By the seventeenth century social and religious conditions had altered so greatly that in 1642 the Sacred Triduum was removed from the days of obligation, and the three days {of Holy Week} became officially what they had long been in practice: ordinary workdays. The beautiful solemn liturgy of Holy Week had by this time become unknown to and unappreciated by all save the clergy and a handful of the faithful”. GOOD FRIDAY IN HISTORY Office and ceremonial pre-1955 reform: The Good Friday morning office in the Catholic Church formed three distinct parts. (1) No lights are used. The celebrant and ministers, clothed in black vestments, come to the altar and prostrate themselves for a short time in prayer. In the meantime, the acolytes spread a single cloth on the stripped altar. The first part consists of three lessons from Sacred Scripture, the final reading being John’s account of the Passion. This is followed by a long series of sung prayers for various intentions; for the Church, pope, bishop of the diocese, for the different orders in the Church, for the Roman Emperor, for catechumens. The above order of lessons, chants, and prayers for Good Friday is found in our earliest Roman Ordines, dating from about A.D. 800. (2) The second part includes the ceremony of unveiling and adoring the Cross, accompanied by the chanting of the Improperia; (the Improperia are the reproaches which Jesus is made to utter against the Jews and are chanted by the choir during the Veneration of the Cross); The dramatic unveiling and Veneration of the Cross, which was introduced into the Latin Liturgy in the seventh or eighth century, had its origin in the Church of Jerusalem. A veiled image of the Crucifix is gradually exposed to view, while the celebrant, accompanied by his assistants, sings three times the “Ecce lignum Crucis”, etc. (“Behold the wood of the Cross on which hung the salvation of the world”), to which the choir answers, each time, “Venite adoremus” (“Come let us adore”). The congregation then come forward to venerate the Cross. (3) The third part was known as the Mass of the Presanctified, which is preceded by a procession and followed by vespers. This is simply a ‘Service of Holy Communion, but only the celebrant received. The Tenebrae or Service of Darkness takes place in the evening. It derives its name from the gradual extinguishing of candles and lights at various points in the service. The ensuing darkness is a symbolic recreation of the darkness that covered the land when our Lord died (Mark 15:33). It also brings to mind the fading life of our Lord as He hung on the cross. Scripture readings and hymns direct the hearts of the people to repent of the sins that made our Lord's crucifixion necessary. The last remaining candle (representing Jesus) is not extinguished like the others, but is carried out of the chancel. The Service of Darkness ends with the strepitus, a sudden loud noise caused by the slamming shut of a book or door. The strepitus symbolizes the tumultuous earthquake that accom- panied the Lord's death (Matthew 27:46-53) and the shutting of the tomb when He was interred. It also foreshadows the breaking of the tomb at the Resurrection described in Matthew 28:2. The Christ candle is then returned to the altar as a reminder to the worshippers that even in the midst of death and darkness our Lord was not defeated by the devil, but rose in triumph on Easter morning. The people then disperse in silence. (For a contemporary version, see below) GOOD FRIDAY IN THE ANGLICAN CHURCH The 1662 did not specify a particular rite to be observed on Good Friday but local custom came to mandate an assortment of services, including the Seven Last Words from the Cross and a three-hour service consisting of Matins, Ante-communion (using the Re- served Sacrament in certain parishes) and . In recent times revised editions of the Prayer Book and other alternative Services have re-introduced pre-Reformation forms of observ- ance of Good Friday corresponding to those in today’s Roman Catholic Church, and with special nods to the rites that had been observed in the Church of England prior to the Reforma- tion. Broadly speaking a three or four part liturgy is what you might encounter in an Anglican liturgy for Good Friday. Setting The liturgical colour for this day is passion red. In many places most of the hangings, frontals, pictures and other deco- rations will have been removed or veiled before this service All crosses are removed to enhance the impact of the procla- mation of the cross in the course of the service. Time The Liturgy for Good Friday may take place at any time of the day and is not limited to the hours between 12 noon and 3.00 pm. The primary focus is on commemorating his passion and death. The time will be governed by local custom. The shape of the service Because this liturgy is a continuation of the Maundy Thursday commemoration, there is no music before the beginning, and no opening hymn. The Ministry of the Word The readings do not vary from year to year . A Sermon is given The Passion reading is the climax of the Ministry of the Word. The Solemn Prayers The Prayers have been part of the Good Friday liturgy since earliest times. Proclamation of the Cross A wooden cross may be carried into the church for this part of the Liturgy. A set of optional vesicles and responses is provided. It is recommended that the cross should be large enough to be the dominant symbol in the church on this day, and be placed where it is accessible to the people. All may be invited to come to the cross, to make appropriate acts of devotion to the Crucified One. The Reproaches may be sung. The Liturgy of the Eucharist To receive Holy Communion or not is an important question for each

THE RESTORED (Post 1955) CATHOLIC SERVICE OF THE LORD’S PASSION (As restored by Pius XII) There is a remarkable similarity between the Anglican Service and the Restored Catholic Service for Good Friday. The service is divided into three parts: (1) liturgy of the word, (2) veneration of the cross and (3) holy communion. The priest and deacons wear red or black vestments. The liturgy starts with the priests and deacons going to the altar in silence and prostrating themselves for a few moments in silent prayer, then an introductory prayer is prayed. In part one, the Liturgy of the Word, we hear the most famous of the Suffering Servant passages from Isaiah (52:13-53:12), a prefigurement of Christ on Good Friday. Psalm 30 is the Responsorial Psalm “Father, I put my life in your hands.” The Second Reading, or Epistle, is from the letter to the Hebrews, 4:14-16; 5:7-9. The Gospel Reading is the Passion of St. John. The General Intercessions conclude the Liturgy of the Word. The ten intercessions cover these areas: Part two is the Veneration of the Cross. A cross, either veiled or unveiled, is processed through the Church, and then venerated by the congregation. We joyfully venerate and kiss the wooden cross “on which hung the Savior of the world.” During this time the “Reproaches” are usually sung or recited. Part three, Holy Communion, concludes the Celebration of the Lord’s Pas- sion. The altar is covered with a cloth and the ciboriums containing the Blessed Sacra- ment are brought to the altar from the place of reposition. The Our Father and the Ecce Agnus Dei are recited. The congregation receives Holy Communion, there is a “Prayer After Communion,” and then a “Prayer Over the People,” and everyone departs in silence. Extract from the General Decree of November 16, 1955. (This extract is included here for the succinct nature of its historical summary, and its perceptive criticism of received practices). Originally these rites were performed at the hour of day at which had occurred the scenes liturgically represented. Thus Mass on the Thursday was celebrated, as the Last Supper had been, in the evening; the liturgical action on the Friday took place, as had taken place the climax of Our Lord's Passion, in the afternoon; and late on the Saturday evening began the solemn vigil that ended early the first day of the week with the Resurrection. In the middle ages various causes conspired to bring them forward earlier and earlier into the day, so that eventually they became morning functions, impairing the earlier harmony with the accounts given in the Gospel narratives. This disharmony was most glaring on the Saturday, which became liturgically the day of Resurrection instead of that day’s eve, and, liturgically again, from a day of darkest mourning became a day of light and gladness. In the days of faith these three days, the Sacred Triduum, were days of obligation, and the faithful, freed from servile work, were able to take their part in the morning celebrations in great numbers. By the seventeenth century social and religious conditions had altered so greatly that in 1642 the Sacred Triduum was removed from the days of obligation, and the three days became officially what they had long been in practice: ordinary workdays. The beautiful solemn liturgy of Holy Week had by this time become unknown to and unappreciated by all save the clergy and a handful of the faithful. A partial remedy was sought by introducing extra-liturgical devotions each evening (Holy Hour, Three Hours, Mater Dolorosa sermon, Stations of the Cross); but these lack much of the great dignity and sacramental power and efficacy of liturgical celebrations. To bring an end to this serious loss liturgists, parish clergy, and Bishops in every part of the world have for long beseeched the Holy See to restore the liturgical actions of the Sacred Triduum to their proper hours in the evening. This was a serious undertaking, calling for much thought and consultation. In 1951 the Easter Vigil liturgy was restored to late evening by way of experiment, and in 1953 the Apostolic Constitution ‘Christus Dominus’ permitted Mass to be said and Communion to be received in the evening on certain days of the year. From every country the Holy See received reports of greatly increased attendance and fervour. A Commission was appointed to investigate further and propose definate action, and the Sacred Congregation of Rites concurred with the action proposed. The Restored Ordo of Holy Week was published in November 1955. The following prescriptions are noteworthy: 1. The Restored Ordo for Holy Week affects all the faithful of the , but not those who follow other Latin rites. 2. It takes effect from March 25, 1956. 3. Sunday in Holy Week is officially named: “Second Sunday in Passiontide, or Palm Sunday.” 4. Matins and Lauds Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, if sung in common, are to be said in the morning, not the previous evening. 5. On Thursday and Friday Vespers are omitted, since the liturgical functions of the two days replace them. Compline is chanted in choir after the function. 6. On the Vigil celebration replaces both Evening Prayer and Night Prayer. 7. The Mass of the Last Supper should not begin earlier than 5.00pm or later than 8.00pm. 8. Friday’s liturgical action should be after noon, preferably about 3.00pm, but the Diocesan Bishop may permit it to begin later, but not later than 6.00pm. 9. The Paschal Vigil should be celebrated at such an hour that Mass begins about midnight between Saturday and Sunday. The desire of the Holy See in all this is that the Holy Week Liturgy should be celebrated everywhere with the greatest solemnity possible, and that the people should in some way take an active share.

A REVIVAL OF TENEBRAE?

Below is a synopsis of a modern version of the Tenebrae. “The monastic tradition of chanting Tenebrae is the custom we most treasure each year during the Sacred Triduum, or final three days of Holy Week. Tenebrae is the Latin word for "darkness" or "shadows” and is prayed in the early morning before it is light. The texts for these Hours of the Divine Office are composed of readings from the Prophets, passages from the Gospels and from the Epistles of St. Paul, and commentaries of St. Augustine. As the choir chants, the candles on the hearse (a triangular-shaped candelabrum) are extinguished, one by one, until only one remains: symbol of the “Deathless One”, Christ Our Lord Risen. The last remaining candle is hidden behind the altar, and in the darkness we pound on our choir stalls to make a din of noise. This final moving part of the Tenebrae ceremony, reminiscent of the upheaval of nature on Good Friday, expresses vividly the confusion and disorder caused by the death of the God-Man. The single lighted candle is then replaced on the hearse for all to contemplate.” 1. Is a common celebration of ‘Tenebrae’ between both our Churches feasible for next year, Good Friday night, 2008?