GOOD FRIDAY
My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?
Psalm 22 is a well-known psalm in the Bible that begins with a poignant cry of distress, but ultimately turns into a declaration of victory and triumph. While the opening lines of the psalm express feelings of abandonment and anguish, the overall theme of the psalm shifts towards a proclamation of confidence in God's faithfulness and deliverance.
In our culture today, we don't necessarily have the Psalms memorized as the Jews did in the time of Christ. Those standing at the foot of the cross who heard this cry from Jesus knew the rest of the Psalm, just as we know what comes after, "Roses are red, violets are....". When all seems lost, Jesus calls out, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" They would have known that this was the beginning of a victory cry affirming trust in God's sovereignty and deliverance, rather than one of sorrow, surrender and abandonment.
Open your Bible to Psalm 22 (or click the link above) and read it in entirety to get the full picture.
spiritual
SPIRITUAL
On this Good Friday, make an effort to attend The Celebration of the Passion of the Lord and start the DIVINE MERCY NOVENA.
A Prayer for Good Friday from mycatholic.life
My Most Glorious and Suffering Lord, it is Your Hour.
It is the Hour by which You conquered sin and death.
It is the Hour for which You came into this world, taking on flesh so as to offer Your precious life for the salvation of the world.
May I be with You, dear Lord, in these moments of suffering and death.
May I, like Your Mother, John and Mary Magdalene, stand at the foot of the Cross, gazing upon the perfect Gift of Love.
My suffering Lord, may I see in Your Cross the most perfect act ever known in this world. May I see Love in its most pure form.
May my eyes and soul look beyond the blood and pain and see Your Divine Heart, pouring forth Mercy upon me and upon the whole world.
Today I kneel in silent adoration of You, my God.
I sit quietly, beholding the great mystery of our faith.
I behold God, beaten, bruised, mocked, tortured and killed.
But in this act, I see all grace and Mercy flowing from Your wounded Heart. Bathe the world in Your Mercy, dear Lord.
Cover us with Your grace and draw us to new life through Your death.
I love You, dear Lord. I love You with all my heart.
Jesus, I trust in You.
self
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding, and my entire will,
all that I have and possess.
Thou hast given all to me.
To Thee, O Lord, I return it.
All is thine; dispose of it wholly according to thy will.
Give me Thy love and Thy grace,
for this is sufficient for me.
~St. Ignatius of Loyola
Is there a part of this prayer that is hard for you to pray? Why?
Ask God for the grace to surrender completely to Him and pray this with all your heart.
service
On Good Friday, one of our traditions is to enter into silence for 3 full hours from 12 noon until 3PM. During that time, do something you have been putting off or that you don't like doing. Maybe it's organizing an overflowing closet, raking the dead grass, deep cleaning the bathrooms, etc. Pick something that needs to get done and do it in silence, meditating on Christ's Passion and death. Yes, kids can do this, too! It may not be completely silent, but you can teach them about the solemnity of the day and the importance of living our faith.
today's recipe
SWEET POTATO MINESTRONE
This is one of my favorite soups!
It's simple, easy and a good fit on this Good Friday.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil
1 large onion chopped
4 large stalks celery, chopped
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1-28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
6 cups vegetable broth
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
3 large carrots sliced thin
8 ounces green beans cut into 1 inch pieces (or green peas)
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 can Cannellini beans
1 teaspoon rosemary
Directions
Heat oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Saute onion, celery, garlic, Italian seasoning, rosemary, salt and pepper until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, broth, sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans and garlic. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
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