Faith in Action - Good Friday
- Fri, Feb 26, 2021 10:00 AM
Good Friday Family Promotion
My Brother Knights and Families, this year we are being given the opportunity to do a program initiated by Supreme last year. This program is very simple and here are some suggestions on getting it done. Ask Father if your Council can promote Good Friday services by downloading the POSTER located on the Supreme website. I am sure that the church will already be promoting this in the bulletin, but here are a couple of ideas. If you have a Council newsletter put it in there, maybe ask a few of the Christian businesses in your area to place the poster in a prominent place. Many Christians also observe Good Friday, and this may be a way to evangelize. Perhaps your Council has access to Catholic Radio or maybe a newspaper ad. Try and think out of the box and have a can-do attitude! What I am asking is “Please get involved”!
As I said the program is simple but from a spiritual point of view there is so much that we can do to enrich our Lenten journey. Good Friday is the day on which Catholics commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Catholics are joined by almost all other Christians in solemn commemoration on this day. The events of Good Friday are commemorated in the Stations of the Cross. The Stations of the Cross are commonly recited on Wednesdays and Fridays during Lent. Another devotional, the Acts of Reparation, may also be prayed. Here is a great way to get involved in your Parish, call up a member or a home bound parishioner see if they need a ride or would like to participate in the stations with you, ask Father if your Council can lead Stations during Lent. Perhaps if you are able, you can help with the meal that usually accompanies Stations.
In the seventh century, the Church in Rome adopted the practice of Adoration of the Cross from the Church in Jerusalem, where a fragment of wood believed to be the Lord's cross had been venerated every year on Good Friday since the fourth century. According to tradition, a part of the Holy Cross was discovered by the mother of the emperor Constantine, St. Helena, on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 326. A fifth century account describes this service in Jerusalem. A coffer of gold-plated silver containing the wood of the cross was brought forward. The bishop placed the relic on the a table in the chapel of the Crucifixion and the faithful approached it, touching brow and eyes and lips to the wood as the priest said (as every priest has done ever since): 'Behold, the Wood of the Cross.'
We are so fortunate to have such a rich history and tradition in the church. Here is another opportunity. Teach children and grandchildren about the sign of the cross. It is a visible sign of one's belief in Christ and of one's hope in the redemption which flows from His Cross. By making this sign both in public and in private we affirm our faith in Christ crucified and ask for His blessing and protection. It is also a gesture of reverence to the Blessed Sacrament. Please get involved and think out of the box and remember that we probably learned the most about our Faith from our Family, so we all need to become better students of Christ. I know for myself there is a lot of room for growth in my own faith and I think there are many that share this same sentiment.
Your Brother in Christ
Garret A. Kelenske State Family Director
Rise Up and Answer the Call!