A blessed Good Friday to all!
I'm hoping that everyone is having a blessed Easter Triduum.
I just came back from the Good Friday service at my local parish, a parish that has celebrated the "Novus Ordo" Mass exclusively since Pope Paul VI promulgated it in late 1969 (or was that 1970?).
WHAT ABOUT THE SALVATION OF SOULS?
Jesus suffered great agony in the Garden of Gethsemane:
He knew that He would suffer horribly and die a disgraceful death, but what must have troubled Him the most was the knowledge that so many people, who He loved with Infinite Love, would reject Him and even mock His Sacrifice. We must take very seriously the Great Commission, "to baptize all nations in the Name of the Father, and of The Son, and of the Holy Ghost".
I was glancing at my Latin/English Missal to see if I needed to add or change anything in my mind and heart. I was rather surprised at how close some of the many prayers were. They even had a cantor for "let us kneel"/"let us rise" and the ensuing prayer. Then the priest said the prayer that follows the cantor.
I almost became tearful however at how we never once prayed for the conversion of anyone back to the Catholic Faith. We did not even pray for the poor Jews that actually told Pontius Pilate that rather than having God for their ruler, "... we have no other king than Caesar." We did not even mention schismatics or heretics.
This Easter Triduum has already been hard for me this year.
For the first time (that I can recall) since BEFORE becoming a Catholic in 1996, I missed going to Church for Maundy Thursday. That was (almost) all my own fault. The way things went I was physically too tired and I lost track of the time. However, I think all I really needed was more resolve and determination to get there.
One thing holding me back is that, due to COVID, the Bishop won't allow his priests to distribute Communion on the tongue. Since I can only receive Spiritual Communion I find that to be another reason that tends to deter me from going to Mass unless it is a Day of Obligation here in Canada during COVID.
BUT LET US ALL REJOICE IN OUR SUFFERINGS. Offer all up to God in union with the Passion of Our Lord. Nothing comes our way unless it is either willed or allowed by God.
In nomine
Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti.
Amen.
Pater noster, qui
es in caelis,
Sanctificetur
nomen tuum.
Adveniat
regnum tuum.
Fiat
voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra.
Panem
nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie,
et
dimitte nobis debita nostra
sicut et
nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris.
Et ne
nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen.
Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus.
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus,
nunc et in hora mortis nostrae.
Amen.
Glória Patri
et Fílio
et Spirítui Sancto.
Sicut erat in princípio,
et nunc et semper
et in sæ´cula sæculórum.
Amen.
In nomine
Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti.
Amen.
Prayer to my Guardian Angel:
Angel of God,
my guardian dear,
to whom God’s love commits me here,
ever this day be at my side,
to light and guard, to rule and guide.
Amen.