Good Friday

On Good Friday, the entire Church looks upon the Cross at Calvary. Church members try to understand Jesus’ Passion: how He gave the opportunity for our redemption. In the Adoration of the Cross, or Good Friday, the members of the church chant the ‘Reproaches’, read the Passion, and receive the pre-consecrated Host. We bond ourselves to our Savior, and we ponder our own death to sin in the Death of our Lord.
The Church is stripped of its adornments, the alter is exposed, and the door to the tabernacle is left open. All of these things symbolize mourning. In earlier times, this action was called a day of mourning, not to be a day of celebratory happiness. This day was called the ‘Pasch of the Crucifixion’.
No Mass is celebrated today. The service for Good Friday is called the Mass of the Presanctified because Communion is already consecrated on Holy Thursday and is given to the parish people today.
It is custom for all music to be silent from Holy Thursday until the Alleluia at the Easter Vigil. All musical instruments are silenced as well, and the only music heard is the solitary chant.
Omitting the prayer of consecration heightens our sense of loss because Mass throughout the year reminds us of the Lord’s triumph over death, the source of our joy and blessing. Today reminds us of Christ’s humiliation and suffering during his Passion.

Holy Thursday

Holy Thursday is a multifaceted and deeply profound religious observance. It celebrates Christ becoming the Eucharist and the institution of the sacerdotal priesthood. For in this, the celebration of Passover (the last supper), He is the self-offered Passover victim. Every ordained priest represents this same sacrifice, by Christ’s influence and authority. The Last Supper was also Christ’s farewell to His assembled disciples, even though some of them would betray or deny Him before the night was over.
On Holy Thursday there is a special Mass because it is a solemn observance of Christ’s institution of the priesthood. At this ‘Chrism Mass’ the bishop blesses the Oil of Chrism used for Baptism and Confirmation. The bishop may wash the feet of twelve priests, to symbolize Christ’s washing the feet of his Apostles, the first priests.
The Holy Thursday liturgy is observed at sundown because that is the time when Passover began. The Liturgy shows both the worth God attributes to the humility of service, and the need for cleansing with water (a symbol of baptism). This cleansing is also referred to as Mandatum washing; it represents Jesus washing the feet of His disciples. The priests also strip and wash the altar. This day of cleansing during Holy Week is also referred to as Maundy Thursday.
The Church also witnesses to its high regard for Christ’s Body present in the consecrated Host in the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, carried in solemn procession to the flower covered Altar of Repose, where it will remain ‘entombed’ until the communion service on Good Friday. No mass is celebrated again in the Church until the Easter Vigil proclaims the Resurrection.
Conclusively, The Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is completed by the people during the night, just as the disciples stayed with the Lord during His agony on the Mount of Olives before the betrayal by Judas.