The altar was stripped bare and the tabernacle hung open to
reveal its emptiness. There was no trace of the incense that had filled the
cathedral the day before. Statues were cloaked in purple and the clergy wore
bright red. The choir sang mournfully.
The faithful sang along, knelt in heartfelt prayer, listened
to the account of Christ’s death from the Gospel of John and received holy
Communion at the Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion service at the Cathedral of
St. Thomas More in Arlington April 19. They also mediated on the crucifixion
during the adoration of the cross.
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge kisses the crucifix during the
Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion service at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More
in Arlington April 19. ZOEY MARAIST
| CATHOLIC HERALD
Deacon Nicholas Blank carried a veiled crucifix through the
nave to the sanctuary. Bishop Michael F. Burbidge removed parts of the cloth
covering until the wooden cross was unveiled, lifting it three times throughout.
Then, Deacon Blank held out the cross for service-goers to venerate with a
touch or kiss.
Deacon Nicholas Blank carried a veiled
crucifix through the nave to the sanctuary. Bishop Michael F. Burbidge removed
parts of the cloth covering until the wooden cross was unveiled, lifting it
three times throughout. Then, Deacon Blank held out the cross for service-goers
to venerate with a touch or kiss.
A metaphorical look at the shape of the
cross can teach us how to love, said Bishop Burbidge. “Jesus asks that our
lives take the form of the cross. Our love for God stretches us upward,
vertical, reaching to the skies from the depth of our hearts, imploring his
help here below,” said Bishop Burbidge, paraphrasing a spiritual insight that
he had read recently. “Our love for our neighbor stretches us outward,
horizontal, hands and arms and hearts open to those in need. What a powerful
image.”
On this Good Friday, Bishop Burbidge
encouraged the faithful to bring personal hardships and sufferings to Christ. “No
cross is greater that (God’s) love,” he said. “Jesus continues to pour out upon
us his mercy and sacrificial love and the strength, courage and perseverance we
need to carry our cross, never alone but always united to his.”
The cross, he said, also calls Christians
to love our neighbor and offer our pains on their behalf. “No suffering is in
vain. From it, God brings glory,” said Bishops Burbidge. “Ask for that grace to
let go of any anger or bitterness and to forgive those who have offended you.
“May you leave here today allowing your
life to take the form of a cross — stretching upwardly toward God. Allow your
lives to be stretched outwardly, to open hearts to those in need of our
compassion,” he said. “Together, may we be renewed and strengthened in our
faith. May we say, ‘We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your
holy cross you have redeemed the world.’ ”
This story has been updated.
