Prayers and penance to mark Good Friday today

NAGPUR: As heads bow down to pray on Good Friday today, every Christian heart sends up a silent prayer to Christ whose sacrifice at the cross redeemed his followers of their sins.
A number of rituals precede Good Friday. All revolve around reliving the last moments of Jesus and are an attempt towards getting closer to the Lord. The Penitential service two days before, followed by confessions, help devout Christians to wash the sins of the past.Maundy Thursday is the day when an environment that must have prevailed at the last supper is attempted to be recreated. It was at this time that Christ gave the most important commandment of love and service by washing the feet of his disciples before he left for the holy cross. At SFS church too, the priests wash the feet of the 12 chosen ones in the evening.
Giving details of the day long activity on Friday, Vicar General of SFS church, Father Gerome Pinto, says, “Prayer of the Church will start at 7am. This will be followed by the Way of the Cross. Children from five schools will arrive at the church from different directions. The elders will have it in the church compound and the last four stations will be enacted by the youth in the church.”
At least ten priests will be available at the church to hear confessions which will go on from 9.30 am to 10.30am. The three hour Agony, or the last seven words of Christ from the cross, will be conducted by Father Naveen in English and Father Bosco in Hindi from 11.45 am to 1.30pm. The seven messages that the Lord gave from the cross form the cornerstone of Christianity, explains Father Pinto.
The Passion Service and unveiling of the Cross, which is attended by more than 3000 people, will take place at the SFS compound and conducted by the Archbishop Rev Abraham Viruthakulangara.
In the conservative Methodist churches, service begins at 12noon with Agony. “We follow old traditions,” says S M Chandorikar, the district superintendent of all Methodist Churches. “In the nearly three hour long service, we tell devotees about the significance of the seven messages that advise Christians to be forgiving, confess their mistakes and get judged by god.” Though Way of the Cross is not held in Methodist churches, Chandorikar says that reverend priests speak about the value of the Cross.