Good Friday Fare

Spiritual Readings for Good Friday:

The Cross of Christ, The Cosmic Tree from early church writer known as “Pseudo Chrysostom”:
www.crossroadsinitiative.com/library_article
/916/Cosmic_Tree_Pseudo_Chrysostom.html

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The Pope's Via Crucis [Way of the Cross]:

For recent years [I really liked the text for the 2006 Stations last year...]

http://www.vatican.va/news_services/
liturgy/documents/index_via-crucis_en.html

Pope's Via Crucis for today [have not prayed these yet]:

http://www.vatican.va/news_services/
liturgy/2007/documents/ns_lit_doc_
20070406_via-crucis_en.html

Homily:

"God Manifests His Love for Us", by Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap., Preacher to the Papal Household [4/14/2006, St. Peter's Basilica]

http://www.cantalamessa.org/en/
predicheView.php?id=76

or, his homily from 2005: http://www.zenit.org/english/
visualizza.phtml?sid=68364

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A scritural reflection by Orthodox priest Henry Patrick Reardon [posted on Touchstone Magazine's www.toucstonemag.com ]:

"Good Friday, April 6

Zechariah 13: Maintaining his emphasis on the Lord's Passion and Death, the prophet goes on to speak of the striking of the Shepherd and the consequent dispersal of His disciples (verse 7), a text interpreted for us in Matthew 26:31 (cf. Mark 14:27; John 16:31).

This is the event by which the false gods are defeated (verse 1). These are the demonic forces brought to naught by the death of the First Born. Questioned about the marks of the wounds in His flesh, the Lord responds, “These wounds I received in the house of My friends” (verse 6).

Cyril of Alexandria wrote in the early fifth century, “when the Only Begotten Word of God ascended into the heavens in the flesh to which He was united, there was something new to be seen in the heavens. The multitude of holy angels was astounded, seeing the King of glory and the Lord of hosts being made in a form like ourselves. . . . Then the angels asked this, 'What are these wounds in Your hands?' And He said to them, 'These wounds I received in the house of My friends.'” These are the wounds that He will show to His disciples after His resurrection. He bears these wounds in his glorified flesh forever, as He stands before the Father, “as though slain,” being the one Mediator between God and man (Revelation 5:6)."

[ http://www.touchstonemag.com/frpat.html ]