Attend a Good Friday service wearing black
Walk the stations of the cross at a local church or retreat center
Observe a period of silent contemplation, if even for an hour
Step into the shoes of the disciples, who did not know Jesus would rise from the dead, and imagine your world without the resurrection

VISIO DIVINA

Today, we remember the passion of Jesus, culminating in his crucifixion. Three crosses sit upon the barren hill of Calvary, surrounded by a crown of thorns. The Hebrew is Eli Eli lama azabtani, Jesus’ lament “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” We mourn Jesus’ willing sacrifice, the beatings, mockery, and betrayal he suffered, and grieve over our guilt and complicity in them.

BENEDICTION

What wondrous love is this,
O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this
that caused the Lord of bliss
to bear the dreadful curse
for my soul, for my soul,
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul!

(from “What wondrous love is this,” S. Mead's A General Selection, 1811; American folk hymn, ca. 1835, Public Domain)