The holiest (and my favorite) week of the year is coming to a close. Today is Good Friday. Growing up I always felt like the Friday before Easter never got the recognition it deserved. After all, without Good Friday, Easter Sunday wouldn't have been nearly as remarkable a day as it was. Without Good Friday, Easter Sunday wouldn't have even been necessary really. When I began dating Steven I started attending the masses with him during Holy Week. I thought they were wonderful and I still do.
Last night was the annual Seder meal at St. Joe's. To start it off we have a traditional passover meal (well, I guess it's traditional I'm not sure) and then we have a chicken dinner. Afterwards we go to mass. The highlight of that mass is the washing of the feet. Representatives from different organizations in the parish come forward and have their feet washed by one of the priests. This is done in remembrance of Jesus washing his disciples feet, and the charge we are given to wash the feet of others. Granted some think this is a very literal interpretation, but it is also very symbolic. We are urged to think of the many ways we can "wash the feet of others" without really washing their feet. It is a really cool point in the mass.
Today we decided to go to the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington for the Good Friday mass. Plans quickly changed however when both children started acting like holy terrors. We decided it wasn't worth the fight and decided to leave. This is a very solemn mass and one that really makes you contemplate the agony of the Crucifixion. Many don't like to dwell on the pain that Jesus suffered on the cross, but we all have to admit that it was necessary for our salvation. The Cathedral we were at is such a gorgeous church! I had to post some pictures because it may just remind people of a certain famous cathedral somewhere in Europe. 
Tomorrow night is the Easter Vigil. This is the night that new members will be baptized and confirmed into the Catholic church. After about 9 months of preparation it is a very joyful time for them, and it is a very joyful mass. It is probably my favorite of all of the masses during Holy week, aside from Easter Sunday of course! We will be out of town this year but I think we are going to try to go to the Easter Vigil in my grandma's town because we love it so much.Then of course Easter Sunday. Easter has long been my favorite holiday. I would even put it ahead of Christmas. Without Easter Sunday Jesus' birth would have just been another birth (with exception of the miraculous conception part!) I feel so lucky to be able to call myself a Christian. I feel so blessed that I know my Savior. I know that He died to take away my sins. I know that He rose from the dead to give me everlasting life. I know that He will return to us one day to take us home with Him. I hope I will always live my life worthy of His love and His sacrifice.
Happy Easter to you all! Have a blessed weekend!
4 comments:
I've never actually celebrated Good Friday but this church is beautiful!
This is a great post! I agree, it wasn't until I was an adult (and Catholic) and really focused on the content and depth of Good Friday that I realized what an awesome gift we were given that we celebrate on Easter. It never really sunk in that EASTER was the biggest feast day of the year, not Christmas, for it wasn't until Jesus gave up his life for us as the Paschal lamb, were we saved. I always knew that, but never focused on Good Friday as much before.
We didn't get a chance to make it to as many masses/Stations of the Cross/days in church as we would have liked last week due to Lloyd's bedtime (even though we tried to coordinate it to accomodate afternoon naps to make it to 7:30pm mass, that 7:15pm bedtime is set!) and the onset of his first cold, but we did spend some serious quiet reflection at home (especially between 12-3 on Friday) and read the 4 Gospels about the cruxifiction out loud together . . . it was such a special time.
The Passover Seder also sounds neat!
I hope that you had a blessed Easter and have a great week!
Sarah
What a great post! Very well written. I too enjoy the true meaning of Easter - although we had a VERY sick child this year and couldn't go to any of our services at church.... It's funny that we missed Easter (because we're they're for every service) because a lot of people tend to ONLY attend church for such occasions.
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