The Crucifixion

The Church today celebrates the great and wondrous mystery of Christ's death upon the cross.

Jesus Christ is our new Passover who gives us his body and blood as our spiritual food and drink. He replaces the bread and wine of the paschal meal with his very body and blood. He abolishes the paschal lamb of the old covenant; and in its place, he offers himself as both priest and victim and thus inaugurates the new covenant of his own blood.

As John the Baptist proclaims, he is truly "the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." And as St. Paul says, "Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us; therefore, let us keep the feast."

The Divine Mysteries are not celebrated today, instead the pre-sanctified liturgy of the Anaphora of the Singing of the Chalice is used. The prayers of this anaphora are among the most ancient of the Syriac Church. Holy Communion is distributed during the pre-sanctified liturgy from the Mysteries consecrated yesterday.

In addition to the celebration of the pre-sanctified liturgy the Church also recalls the mystery of the cross by the rite of adoration of the cross and the burial of the Lord.

The cross is the sign of the Lord's sacrifice and death, and yet it is also the beacon of light and symbol of hope and victory.

The whole earth has been
enlightened by the light of the
cross, and the darkness of
ignorance has been turned back.

As we adore the cross and recall the burial of the Lord we call out:

O Lord, we worship your
cross, for it is our resurrection
and renewal.
O Christ crucified for us, have
mercy on us.