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Willy1
Guest
At 3 pm when Jesus dies on the cross do Catholics do anything? It is a question I have always had do we just say a prayer and thank him for what he did for us, or is there something that we are supposed to do?
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Limoncello4021
Guest
Yes, all the Good Fridays of my life have been spent in church at 3:00. You will probably find a church streaming Good Friday services. If not, you could pray the Divine Mercy chaplet at that time.
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Richard_White
Guest
Yes, the Divine Mercy Novena also begins on Good Friday. If you would like to pray it, here is some more information, with links to each of the days of the novena:
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catholicmusic
Guest
You could sit in quiet meditation for an hour.
I can only relate what I do, myself, on Good Friday. If I can, I get to a church for at least a short time, and meditate on His Passion. Obviously that’s not going to be possible this year — even if they have churches open for visitors, and I know this will sound terrible to some (can’t please everyone, no use even to try), I will stay home this year. I could probably get the CV and get through it with minimal problems — I have very high resistance, a good immune system, and I’m physically strong to begin with — but I take care of elderly parents who aren’t in the best shape. So I have to stay well for them, if for no other reason. My son is 13 and CV generally doesn’t serve youngsters that badly (sadly, there are exceptions), but I still wouldn’t want him to get sick either.
I try to stay somber and reflective the entire three hours — no joking with anyone, no watching TV, no music. I do not remain in prayer constantly. When I worked in the secular world, of course I had to perform my office duties, but I kept conversation with others to a minimum, no idle chit-chat.
I keep the late afternoon and evening sober and quiet as well, though not to the same extent as the three hours.
I try to stay somber and reflective the entire three hours — no joking with anyone, no watching TV, no music. I do not remain in prayer constantly. When I worked in the secular world, of course I had to perform my office duties, but I kept conversation with others to a minimum, no idle chit-chat.
I keep the late afternoon and evening sober and quiet as well, though not to the same extent as the three hours.
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Margaret_Ann
Guest
My late mother and I would always guard the Tomb after Good Friday Vespers.
Backtrack: During Lent we’d have a sign-up sheet to guard the Tomb.
On Holy Thursday evening after Passion Matins with the 12 Gospels, some parishioners would stay behind and set up the Tomb of Our Lord with the Plashchenitsya (an icon of Our Lord Who is taken down from the cross with Our Lady, St. John, St. Nicodemus, St. Mary Magdalene, and the holy women).
On Good Friday, everyone would go to Vespers and then come back for their hour (a few people would sign up for 2 hours) to “guard the Tomb”. When your hour came, you’d kneel down at the back of the nave, and on your knees go up to the Tomb, make a prostration, kiss the Holy Gospel book, the Holy Wounds of Our Lord, and then the Holy Cross, go back on your knees, make another prostration and then go to your pew to "guard the Tomb. No talking in church, only prayer.
Mom always wanted the hour after Vespers so that’s what we’d do. One year we had to take the hour after that so we stayed after Vespers for about 2-3 hours. I’d always bring my rosary and good books for Mom so she could have something to read. We’d know our hour was up when the next person(s) would come up on their knees and venerate the Plashchenitsya. After they went to their pew, we’d go up on our knees, make another prostration, venerate the Gospel, the Holy Wounds, and the Holy Cross again and then leave in silence.
This is my first Holy Week without Mom, and AFAIK this will be the first Good Friday without the Tomb in church. (We got an email saying that there will be no Tomb in the church because you need parishioners to put it together and that’s not possible this year because of social distancing).
Backtrack: During Lent we’d have a sign-up sheet to guard the Tomb.
On Holy Thursday evening after Passion Matins with the 12 Gospels, some parishioners would stay behind and set up the Tomb of Our Lord with the Plashchenitsya (an icon of Our Lord Who is taken down from the cross with Our Lady, St. John, St. Nicodemus, St. Mary Magdalene, and the holy women).
On Good Friday, everyone would go to Vespers and then come back for their hour (a few people would sign up for 2 hours) to “guard the Tomb”. When your hour came, you’d kneel down at the back of the nave, and on your knees go up to the Tomb, make a prostration, kiss the Holy Gospel book, the Holy Wounds of Our Lord, and then the Holy Cross, go back on your knees, make another prostration and then go to your pew to "guard the Tomb. No talking in church, only prayer.
Mom always wanted the hour after Vespers so that’s what we’d do. One year we had to take the hour after that so we stayed after Vespers for about 2-3 hours. I’d always bring my rosary and good books for Mom so she could have something to read. We’d know our hour was up when the next person(s) would come up on their knees and venerate the Plashchenitsya. After they went to their pew, we’d go up on our knees, make another prostration, venerate the Gospel, the Holy Wounds, and the Holy Cross again and then leave in silence.
This is my first Holy Week without Mom, and AFAIK this will be the first Good Friday without the Tomb in church. (We got an email saying that there will be no Tomb in the church because you need parishioners to put it together and that’s not possible this year because of social distancing).
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Margaret_Ann
Guest
Yes it is beautiful but very somber too. It was the quietest day of the year. That’s another reason why I liked to guard the Tomb - peace and quiet.
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phil19034
Guest
Devout Catholics go to Church for the Good Friday service, almost always starts at 3pm in every parish around the world
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I like this idea very much.
It is such a wonderful thing that we have more online resources for worship than we know what to do with. Try to recall back when it was all just videotapes, DVDs, and CDs.
My Palm Sunday Mass today was an SSPX Low Mass from New Zealand (North American-accented priest) on YouTube, celebrated in a tiny chapel with a single acolyte and another priest as reader for the vernacular scriptures. It was about as absolutely minimalist as it is possible for a Palm Sunday Mass to be. I was detained by family duties earlier in the day, so I had to watch it later in the afternoon as a recorded video. I said my rosary during the Mass and made a spiritual communion.
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