Every Good Friday I get sentimental and remember when, as kids on this day, we did not turn on the radio, go to movies, or take part in any worldly pleasures all while fasting if we were old enough. Afternoon would find us at St. James Catholic Church up and down on our knees reciting the Stations of the Cross, going to Confession, and praying the rosary.
On the day before, Holy Thursday, after a symbolic and ritualistic Mass depicting the Last Supper, we would spend the rest of the evening taking turns in adoration and keeping Jesus company until midnight.
As grave as these practices were, we never complained because we didn’t perceive them as punishment, simply a big part of our Catholic Hispanic culture. We didn’t ask why; it was an understood Lenten reflex.
All these acts were keen and deep-seeded. Experiencing them from a very young age left a mark which i hit at the age of 15 on Good Friday when, upon entering the church and reaching into the holy water bowl, I felt sand instead of water. The dryness was pervasive and pierced in my ears the words Jesus uttered right before his crucifixion, “It is finished.”
Reflecting on His words now 55 years later, I respond, “You are finished with your life here on earth, but I will continue trying my best to follow your will.”
On the day before, Holy Thursday, after a symbolic and ritualistic Mass depicting the Last Supper, we would spend the rest of the evening taking turns in adoration and keeping Jesus company until midnight.
As grave as these practices were, we never complained because we didn’t perceive them as punishment, simply a big part of our Catholic Hispanic culture. We didn’t ask why; it was an understood Lenten reflex.
All these acts were keen and deep-seeded. Experiencing them from a very young age left a mark which i hit at the age of 15 on Good Friday when, upon entering the church and reaching into the holy water bowl, I felt sand instead of water. The dryness was pervasive and pierced in my ears the words Jesus uttered right before his crucifixion, “It is finished.”
Reflecting on His words now 55 years later, I respond, “You are finished with your life here on earth, but I will continue trying my best to follow your will.”