Good Friday Fasting: A Religious Tradition And Practice

Good Friday is a Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday before Easter Sunday. Members of many Christian denominations, including the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist, Oriental Orthodox, United Protestant, and some Reformed traditions, observe Good Friday with fasting and church services.

Fasting and abstinence

Fasting

Fasting is the practice of refraining from food, and in a Christian context, it is often done as a form of penance or sacrifice to strengthen one's faith. During fasting, individuals are allowed to consume water or other beverages but are restricted to only one full meal per day, with the option of two smaller meals that do not exceed the quantity of a full meal. The purpose of fasting is to experience the physical and mental effects of reduced food intake, leading to heightened awareness and alertness. It is also seen as a way to clarify one's thinking and feeling, making it a purifying act that prepares one for deeper prayer.

Abstinence

Abstinence, in a religious context, refers specifically to refraining from eating meat. It is also an act of penance and sacrifice, intended to help individuals grow in freedom and make more significant sacrifices. Abstinence from meat is a way to show solidarity with those who cannot afford or access it and is often observed in conjunction with fasting.

Members of various Christian denominations, including Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist, Oriental Orthodox, United Protestant, and some Reformed traditions, observe Good Friday with fasting and church services.

Catholics

Catholics are required to fast and abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. They may also choose to abstain from meat on all Fridays during Lent. Fasting means consuming only one full meal per day, with the option of two smaller meals that do not equal a full meal. Those aged 18 to 59 are expected to fast, while those aged 14 and above are required to abstain from meat.

Lutherans

Lutheran traditions emphasize the importance of Good Friday as a day of fasting within the calendar. The guideline is to have only one simple meal during the day, preferably without meat.

Anglicans

The Anglican Communion historically observed the Black Fast on Good Friday, which involved abstaining from food and liquids for the entire day. After sunset, a vegetarian meal with water was consumed.

Methodists

Methodists often commemorate Good Friday with fasting and a service of worship based on the "Three Hours Devotion," reflecting on the "Seven Last Words" of Jesus.

Church services and prayer vigils

Good Friday is a Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. Many Christian denominations observe Good Friday with fasting and church services.

Good Friday is a day of mourning and reflection for Christians, who often attend special church services and prayer vigils. In many Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, and Methodist churches, the Service of the Great Three Hours' Agony is held from noon until 3 p.m.—the hours the Bible records darkness covering the land until Jesus' death on the cross.

The Byzantine Christian observance of Holy and Great Friday, which is formally known as The Order of Holy and Saving Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, begins on Thursday night with the Matins of the Twelve Passion Gospels. Scattered throughout this Matins service are twelve readings from all four of the Gospels, recounting the events of the Passion from the Last Supper through the Crucifixion and burial of Jesus.

On Friday, all gather again to pray the Royal Hours, a special expanded celebration of the Little Hours with the addition of scripture readings and hymns about the Crucifixion. In the afternoon, around 3 p.m., all gather for the Vespers of the Taking-Down from the Cross, commemorating the Deposition from the Cross.

The Roman Rite has no celebration of Mass between the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday) evening and the Easter Vigil unless a special exemption is granted for rare solemn or grave occasions. The only sacraments celebrated during this time are Baptism, Penance, and Anointing of the Sick.

The Good Friday liturgy consists of three parts: the Liturgy of the Word, the Veneration of the Cross, and Holy Communion. The Liturgy of the Word consists of the clergy and assisting ministers entering in complete silence, without any singing, and then silently making a full prostration. The Great Intercessions, or orationes sollemnes, immediately follows the Liturgy of the Word and consists of a series of prayers for the Church, the Pope, the clergy and laity of the Church, those preparing for baptism, the unity of Christians, the Jewish people, those who do not believe in Christ, those who do not believe in God, those in public office, and those in special need.

The Adoration of the Cross has a crucifix solemnly unveiled and displayed to the congregation, which is then venerated by them, individually if possible, and usually by kissing the wood of the cross. Holy Communion is bestowed according to a rite based on that of the final part of Mass, beginning with the Lord's Prayer, but omitting the ceremony of "Breaking of the Bread" and its related acclamation, the Agnus Dei.

The Good Friday Prayer refers to the section of the Good Friday Service called "Solemn Intercessions" where the prayer is introduced, people pray for a minute, and then the prayer is said by the priest.

The Stations of the Cross

The 14 stations are as follows:

• Jesus is condemned to death
• Jesus takes up his cross
• Jesus falls the first time
• Jesus meets his mother
• Simon of Cyrene is made to bear the cross
• Veronica wipes Jesus' face
• Jesus falls the second time
• The women of Jerusalem weep over Jesus
• Jesus falls the third time
• Jesus is stripped of his garments
• Jesus is nailed to the cross
• Jesus dies on the cross
• Jesus is taken down from the cross
• Jesus is placed in the sepulchre

> We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Good Friday processions

Good Friday is one of the most important days in the Christian calendar, commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. It is preceded by Holy Thursday, which marks the Last Supper of Jesus Christ and his Apostles, and followed by Holy Saturday, which commemorates the day Christ's body lay in the tomb.

In Malta, Good Friday processions have been held since the 16th century when the Maltese began adopting Sicilian and Spanish traditions. The processions here are known for their elaborate statues and the participation of hundreds of actors and enthusiasts dressed in period costumes. The processions start and end at the parish church, winding through the village streets. The biggest attractions are the processions that take place in multiple villages and towns, including Birgu, Isla, Bormla, and Qormi.

In New York City, Catholics also take part in Good Friday processions, such as the "Way of the Cross" procession on Manhattan's East Side, led by Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio. This procession has become a symbol of Good Friday in New York, with participants moving in silence across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Acts of reparation

In the Roman Catholic tradition, an act of reparation is a prayer or devotion with the intent to expiate the "sins of others". This can include praying for the repair of the sin of blasphemy, the sufferings of Jesus Christ, or as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.

First Thursdays Adoration

Practising Eucharistic adoration before the tabernacle, especially in front of the most forgotten and abandoned tabernacles, is a Catholic devotion to offer reparation for the Holy Wounds of Christ. This is done as part of the First Thursdays devotion.

The Golden Arrow Prayer

The Golden Arrow Prayer is part of the devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus, first introduced in 1844 by Mary of Saint Peter, a Discalced Carmelite. She wrote that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name of this prayer.

Rosary of the Holy Wounds

The Rosary of the Holy Wounds is a Rosary-based prayer directed at the sufferings of Jesus. It was first presented by Marie Martha Chambon, a Visitation nun from France who died in 1907.

Specific prayers and devotions, such as the Act of Reparation to the Virgin Mary, are included in the Catholic tradition as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Virgin Mary.

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