GOOD FRIDAY 2007
Good Friday readings
Ecce lignum crucis, in quo salus mundi pependit.
Venite adoremus!
Behold the wood of the cross,
on which hung the Saviour of the world.
Come we adore him!
MUSICAL INTRODUCTION St JOHN PASSION No. 1 CHORUS
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Lord, our Master,
whose glory is honoured in all lands,
show us by your Passion
that You, the true Son of God,
for all times,
even in the deepest darkness,
are forever glorified.
THOUGHT
The drama of the Passion of St John gives us enough upon which to reflect in our personal lives and in our relationship with God and our neighbour.
The significance of Good Friday can be quite overwhelming I find, especially when we ponder the mystery of God that he has no beginning and no end, that he created the universe, all life, us and then sent His Son Jesus into our world to redeem us and grant us the possibility of Eternal Life.
Coming to the knowledge and understanding of God combined with the problems of the world today can also make us feel totally helpless. Let us come before Jesus today and place all our concerns and aspirations before Him. So many of us have indeed a heavy cross to carry in life, let us unite as brothers and sisters in Our Lord through the internet and pray for each other today that Our Lord will comfort us and carry us and our cross in the palm of His hand.
I thought I could best help by sharing with you the gripping and deeply profound music of Johann Sebastian Bach and his interpretation of the Johannes Passion and the St Matthew Passion. Maybe during the quiet times before the Good Friday liturgy or afterwards you may like to come to the discussion board and together simply click on the various links to help us reflect on the meaning of the Paschal Mystery.
MUSIC TO HELP US ON OUR WAY
The St Matthew Passion
Evangelist
And then did the governor's soldiers take Jesus into the praetorium and gathered before him there all the troops, and they did strip him and put upon him a purple robe and plaited a crown of thorns and set it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand and then they bent their knees before him, both mocking him and saying: All hail now to thee, King of the Jews!
And spat upon his face and, taking the reed, they struck him upon his head.
Chorale
O Sacred Head all Wounded
O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden
O Head all scarred and bleeding,
and heaped with cruel scorn
O Head, so filled with sorrow,
and bound with crown of thorn
O Head that was so honoured
So lovely fair to see
and now so low degraded
my heart goes out to thee
Thy countenance so noble
yet now so pale and wan
which all the world should honour
yet foully spat upon
O Lord we will not jeer thee
as they who mocked Thee there
but comfort, love and cheer Thee
in anguish and despair
Come O Sweet Cross- Komm ses Kreuz
This aria Come Sweet Cross is sung on our behalf accompanied by the very dry instrument called the viola da gamba. We ask the Lord that we may gladly carry this sweet cross and we are accompanied with the reality of the harshness that the cross truly is.
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Come, O sweet cross, thus I'll confess it:
My Jesus, give it evermore!
Whene'er my burden be too grave,
Then thou thyself dost help me bear it.
The following aria is a meditation to assist us in emulating Joseph of Arimathea who must have had great faith and courage to ask Pilate for the body of Jesus.
Make Thee Clean My Heart- Mache Dich Mein Herze Rein
Evangelist
At evening, though, there came a wealthy man of Arimathea, whose name was Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus, who went to Pilate and asked him for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered that it be given to him.
Make thee clean, my heart that
I myself would my Lord intern.
May he find sweet rest in me,
Ever in eternity,
World go out!
And let Jesus enter!
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From the St John Passion of Bach and the moving words of Jesus as he speaks to his Mother and St John:
Evangelist:
But meanwhile, near the cross where Jesus hung, stood his mother, with her sister, Mary wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala.
Jesus saw his mother, with the disciple whom he loved standing beside her. He said to her: Woman, this is your son. And he said to the disciple: This is your mother!
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Chorale
He thought of everything
in His last hour;
He considered his mother
and gave her a protector.
Man, you too should act rightly;
love God and man,
so that you may die without suffering
and grieving.
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Evangelist
And from that moment the disciple took her into his home. After that, Jesus, aware that all had now been accomplished, said in fulfilment of Scripture
Jesus
I thirst!
Evangelist
A jar stood there full of sour wine; so they soaked a sponge with the wine, fixed it on a javelin, and held it up to his lips. Having received the wine, he said:
Jesus
It is accomplished!
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AN ARIA FOR OUR QUIET REFLECTION
To conclude our reflection today let us listen to the beautiful aria: It is fulfilled from the cantata 159, Behold let us go up to Jerusalem. These moving words require no explanation: may we all be made righteous in Almighty God and to our Jesus make our thanksgiving.
It is fulfilled,
The pain is over,
From all our sinful ruin
In God we have been made righteous.
Now will I hasten
And to my Jesus make thanksgiving;
World, fare thee well,
It is fulfilled!
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MUSIC FOR QUIET TIME
POPULE MEUS
Toms Luis de Victoria (1548-1611)O my people, what have I done to thee? or wherein have I afflicted thee?
Answer me.
O Holy God.
Holy, Strong.
Holy, Immortal, have mercy on us
Regensburger Domspatzen gratefully acknowledged. Live performance from the Sistine Chapel in July 2005.
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MISERERE MEI
Gregorio Allegri (1582-1652)Choir of Westminster Cathedral
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(Translation)
Mater Dolorosa late Gothic circa 1520 St Ottilien Germany
God bless.
) I live in Adelaide, which is 1162 kms by air - a mere 2 hrs 10 mins flight time - from Sydney. I'm sure you'd agree that flying into Sydney on a sunny Australian day would have to be one of the most beautiful experiences in the world. 
