‘Confront the hopelessness’
CHARLOTTE — Bishop Michael Martin, Father Peter Ascik, rector and pastor of St. Patrick Cathedral, Father Miguel Sanchez and Deacons Brian McNulty and Paul Bruck silently processed into St. Patrick Cathedral Friday afternoon and prostrated themselves before the empty tabernacle and bare altar to begin the Good Friday service.
The liturgy – the only day of the year on which Mass is not celebrated – started at 3 p.m., which is traditionally noted as the time of Jesus' death. Outside the cathedral doors, just as they did 2,000 years, passersby barely noticed, the bishop said.
Inside the doors, however, the reenactment of the Passion of the Christ in John’s Gospel reading brought the congregation of more than 250 back to the foot of the Cross leading into Bishop Martin’s homily.
He urged listeners not to fast forward to Easter Sunday before embracing the meaning of Good Friday.
“Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Son of God, perfect holiness, goodness, truth, and beauty, walked through the streets of Jerusalem, bloody and beaten, carrying a massively heavy cross, and most of the people who saw Him just went about their business,” the bishop said.
They went on with their lives, he said, “not knowing that all of their difficulties, all of their weaknesses, every single sin of theirs, every sin that was ever committed, and every sin that would ever be committed were being carried by that Man and that Cross, on that road. For them, and for us… Our lives could be forever changed, and yet, most of the world doesn’t even take notice.”
Deacon McNulty chanted the 10 Solemn Intercessions of the Good Friday liturgy as the congregation knelt, uniting with millions around the world in prayer.
The unveiled cross then returned to its rightful place as first the bishop, and then the congregation came forward to venerate the cross with silent kisses, touches and genuflections. In his homily, the bishop had guided people to acknowledge their own faults as they did so.
“Confront the hopelessness,” he said. “We acknowledge Him, bruised and broken for ancestors that didn’t and future generations who won’t.”
“As we venerate the Cross, we accept our own cross, too, whatever you and I carry, whatever that may be, as hard as it is, as challenging as it may be, as hopeless as it may be. Leave it right at the cross here,” he said.
Many in the congregation felt a renewed sense of hope receiving the Eucharist reserved from the Mass of the Lord’s Supper the night prior, and as the clergy silently processed down the cathedral steps, many remained kneeling at the Cross, which was left on the altar with God’s people.
Parishioners, like young couple Riley Waldthausen and Henry Smith, found the service a heavy reminder of the emotional and physical pain Jesus endured at the hands of His own people.
“Today is different,” Smith said. “In my own life, it calls for deep reflection of my own sins, and walking those steps with Him and experiencing it all firsthand is very meaningful to me.”
His fiancée, Riley, could not hide her tears. “Every Triduum moves me because we are walking the steps with Him,” she said. “What He is doing right now is opening up a way for us to get to heaven. We can’t ever repay that, and He doesn’t even ask us to.”
Bishop Martin began his homily with an anecdote about his father, who made it a point to leave work and come home by 12:45 p.m. every Good Friday, something parishioner Dave Chattergon related to since he does the same thing.
As he said, “Our life is all about Christ, and this is the most important day of our lives.”
There are three opportunities to celebrate the joy of Easter with Bishop Martin. He will celebrate the Easter Vigil at 8:30 p.m. Saturday at St. Patrick Cathedral. He will begin Easter Sunday at 9:30 a.m. at the Waxhaw Campus of St. Matthew Church and then celebrate Mass in Spanish at 2:00 p.m. at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte.
— Lisa M. Geraci. Photos by Troy C. Hall, Amelia Kudela, Sergio Lopez, MaryAnn Luedtke and provided
Living Stations in Asheboro
In one of the most dramatic displays of the Live Stations of the Cross, St. Joseph Church brings the Passion of Christ to life at Asheboro Regional Airport—a powerful tradition they have faithfully carried on for over 13 years.
— Brian Segovia
Cross Walk at St. Joseph College Seminary
About 40 men and boys started Good Friday at 7 a.m. at St. Joseph College Seminary in Mount Holly. They joined Father Matthew Kauth, seminary rector, in the annual tradition of following Jesus on the Way of the Cross. The men carry “crosses” of all weights and sizes around the seminary grounds. This year, they had their largest turnout to date and had to secure six additional logs for the crowd.
— Edward Chaplinsky Jr.
Good Friday across the Diocese of Charlotte
