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GOOD FRIDAY

In the solemn liturgy of the Lord's Passion on Good Friday, we encounter some special signs or marks that tell us of the spiritual focus on this day. We are presented with a powerful theology of the cross so that we recall Jesus' words that we, too, must take up our cross and follow Him.

But why do we say "Good" Friday? What is good about Jesus' terrible suffering?

Good Friday is a day when we grasp a little more that "God so loved the world that He gave us His only begotten Son" (John 3: 16). It is a day, then, of love and adoration of Jesus Christ, crucified for us.

We can only bow down before such great love. This is movingly shown in another special mark or sign on Good Friday, at the very beginning of the liturgy: The priest, deacon and lay ministers enter in silence, go up to the sanctuary and prostrate themselves before the altar -- the symbol of Christ and His sacrifice -- as a sign of love and devotion.

There is, of course, a sense of loss on this day. Another mark or sign is that, on Good Friday, we are required to fast and to abstain from meat because, as Jesus predicted, the disciples will fast when the bridegroom is taken from them (Luke 5:33-35).

The feeling of absence and loss is echoed in the absence of familiar things in the church. The altar is bare, with no cloth, candles or cross; the tabernacle is still empty; there is no holy water.

The readings for Good Friday deepen our understanding of the meaning of the cross. They focus first on Jesus as the suffering servant of God, and then on Jesus' sacrifice and the fact that He is the tested and sympathetic "high priest" for us.

The account of Jesus' passion in St. John's Gospel is read every year. St. John focuses on the victory of the cross: Jesus is both the lamb who is sacrificed and the king, both victim and conqueror.

Another mark of the liturgy on Good Friday is the extended general intercessions. They are some of the most ancient prayers we have in the Church. They remind us of the universal effects of Jesus' passion: Jesus suffered, died and rose for all.

A further mark particular to this day is that we venerate the cross as a symbol of the sacrifice that has given us life. The veneration is seen as an act of faith, hope and love -- not in a thing or a corpse, but in Christ who reigns supreme through the cross.

The cross becomes the tree of life for us, undoing the sin of Adam and Eve, who ate from the forbidden tree. Some commentators say that, in venerating the cross, we should also remember to allow the cross into our own lives. But perhaps the real stress here is on what God has done for us, rather than on our response. The words, at this moment of the liturgy, note: "Behold the wood of the cross on which hung the salvation of the world....Come let us adore."

On Good Friday, because our Savior is taken from us, no Mass is celebrated. Instead, we receive the Eucharist that has been reserved from the Mass on Holy Thursday. This may seem strange: If there is no Mass, why receive the Eucharist? It is a sign of the link between Calvary and the Last Supper. The Eucharist is indeed a memorial, a representation of Jesus' sacrifice for us.

Finally, we'll notice the simple, silent end of the liturgy: There is no blessing, for example, since the author of all blessings has died for us and we have not yet completed the holy three days.

HOLY SATURDAY

It's worth adding a footnote about Holy Saturday. This day is often forgotten, or it becomes the busy day on which all the arrangements are made for the Easter vigil. This is a pity, since the day is full of symbolism: It is a day of waiting by the tomb.

We fast, waiting for the arrival of the bridegroom. We meditate on Jesus' descent among the dead, searching for those who were lost before the coming of the Messiah. The theme of "rest" comes up quite often in the Divine Office for the day: Jesus rests in the tomb and we await His resurrection.

The readings recall that God rested after His work of creation; we think of the work of re-creation, accomplished in Christ. We are reminded of our final rest in union with God in heaven. There is also a sense of anticipating the resurrection of Jesus in this resting: "Awake, o sleeper, and rise from the dead."

THE EASTER VIGIL

The Easter vigil is the climax of the whole liturgical year and is, as St. Augustine remarked, "the mother of all sacred vigils."

The vigil is long and complex, full of symbolism. It finds its fullest expression in the sacraments received by people joining the Church -- the baptism, confirmation and First Communion of the catechumens and the full communion of the candidates -- and in the renewal of the baptismal promises and the Easter communion of all the baptized.

Before the vigil begins, we encounter a special sign outside the church: the Easter fire. While a towering inferno is not needed, the rubric does ask that the fire be "large." The original reason for having a fire may have been a practical one, but it has become full of symbolism for centuries.

The fire reminds us of the need for purification: Fire purifies, and it burns away the old. The Church, then, on this night, is purified and reborn, especially in those who will be baptized and with all who will renew their baptismal promises.

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