...with that solemn and beautiful liturgy. From the confessional address with the confession and absolution, to the collect, from the readings to the singing out of "O Lord, We praise Thee," from the Eucharist to the stripping of the altar as the plaintive Psalm 22 is chanted responsively and then the silence as the people file out.
Yes, the service goes on. It doesn't end with our departure. We spend these hours with our Lord in His suffering, we watch with Him in prayer, we rejoice that He prays for us, and we will bow before His cross and give glory to His resurrection!
5 comments:
Educate me. Why did they move the communion stuff to the "baptistry alter"? What's a baptistry alter anyhow? Why is the alter stripped?
For the altar of repose you can read here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altar_of_Repose
I'm not sure about whether this is how Zion observes it now, or not. I suspect so under Father Fenton. At St. Paul's even on Holy Thursday all the elements are consumed; tomorrow we will offer the Sacrament at noontime, but it will be consecrated during that liturgy in accordance with long-standing Lutheran custom.
The stripping of the altar is a visual depiction of how everything and everyone is taken from our Lord as He enters His passion. He is left alone. All alone and naked, bare and empty.
The confessional address is indeed wonderful. Do you know where it came from?
Many grains... many grapes...
The many grains, many grapes from Didache and it has been used countless times since...
So, it's a Roman thing to NOT have a Mass on Good Friday, but it's a Lutheran thing to have Mass on Good Friday. Interesting.
Yeah, that's what they did. Candlebearers and all.
The tabernacle thing is kind of starting to bug me.
Post a Comment