The Collect for Good Friday’s commemoration of the Cross is:
“Remember your mercies, O Lord, and with your eternal protection sanctify your servants for whom Christ your Son, by the shedding of his Blood, established the Paschal Mystery. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen”
Reflection
As we remember Christ’s passion and death, we begin our prayer by asking God to remember His mercy. Of course He does not need to be reminded, but this way of talking to God is an ancient practice found throughout scripture. In reality, we are reminding ourselves of God’s mercy in order to stir up our faith as we continue in our prayer to Him. And that prayer goes on to ask God to sanctify us – to make us holy – which is the very reason that God became man in the first place. So, on this most holy of days, we must ingrain deeply in ourselves that our faith flows from and returns to the Blood of Christ poured out on the cross. The only way to heaven is through the Paschal Mystery.
So, for your daily contribution to the Church’s collection of prayer,
take a moment to recall that the most universal symbol of our faith – the Cross- is an ancient method of torture and execution. Remember that a central part of today’s liturgy is the veneration of the cross. We kiss that instrument of suffering and death. Mentally and spiritually place your heart on that cross. Then, pray for the grace to never fall into a religion of comfort. Beg for the grace to share fully in the Paschal Mystery according to God’s plan for you. Then spiritually unite that prayer to all the celebrations of the Passion throughout the world. That way, when the priest says “Let us pray,” you can be a part of that “us” even if you don’t get to attend this solemn liturgy.