Washington Archbishop Wilton Gregory marked the most solemn day in the Church calendar with an April 10 Good Friday liturgical service at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in which he venerated the cross of Jesus, urged the faithful to put their trust in God and prayed for those suffering from coronovirus.

“Father, help us - your wayward sons and daughters - to be more trusting in you; help us to believe there is no sin, no failing, no problem we cannot bring to you,” Archbishop Gregory said during the liturgy. “Help us to be more trusting in you and in each other.”

Good Friday commemorates Jesus's sacrificial death on the cross. It is traditionally marked by fasting, penance, prayer and public veneration of the cross by the faithful.

However, following federal and local government mandates to shelter at home, to avoid gathering in groups and to practice social distancing, no faithful were in attendance at the cathedral, and the liturgical service was livestreamed over the Internet. 

During the liturgy, solemn intercessions were prayed, including petitions for the Church, the pope, those who do not acknowledge God, and the Jewish people. This year, a special intention was added “for all who suffer the consequences of the current pandemic.”

“Look with compassion upon the sorrowful condition of your children who suffer because of this pandemic,” Archbishop Gregory prayed. “Relieve the pain of the sick, give strength to those who care for them, welcome into your peace those who have died and, throughout this time of tribulation, grant that we may all find comfort in your merciful love.”

Prior to the veneration of the cross, the Passion of Jesus Christ according to the Gospel of John was proclaimed. Archbishop Gregory said Jesus's final words - “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” - shows “a son who calls upon His Father in the final moments of His greatest act of trust and surrender.”

“A widely accepted truth is that having good hands inspires trust and confidence,” the archbishop noted. “'Father, into your hands I commend my spirit' is the perfect prayer.”

“Good hands are there to embrace and comfort and to inspire us to try even daunting adventures, to absolve when we sin, to soothe the pains of growing, to wipe away the tears of our missteps,” Archbishop Gregory said. 

Noting that by commending His spirit to His Father, Jesus on the cross uttered “the words of a son with confidence in His Father,” Archbishop Gregory urged the faithful to be “confident of (God's) love, mercy, and power to save.”

“The Father never abandoned His son even when He allowed His son to undergo the painful experiences of suffering and dying for the love of His other sons and daughters,” the archbishop said.

After his homily, Archbishop Gregory uncovered and held aloft a crucifix and then was the first to kneel before and to “behold the wood of the Cross, on which hung the salvation of the world.”

The tradition of venerating the cross dates back to the late 4th century when St. Helen, the mother of Emperor Constantine, discovered a fragment of wood believed to be from Christ’s cross on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The faithful came forward to reverence the cross in a sign of respect, and the tradition continues to this day.

Masses are not celebrated in Catholic churches on Good Friday, and the liturgy did not include the consecration. Communion was distributed from hosts consecrated the night before.

At the end of the liturgy, Archbishop Gregory prayed that God would bestow His “abundant blessing” on the faithful “who have honored the death of your Son in the hope of their resurrection: may pardon come, comfort be given, holy faith increase, and everlasting redemption be made secure.”

Keeping with the somber tone of the day, the liturgy ended solemnly with Archbishop Gregory and other participants departing from the altar in reverential silence.

The remainder of Archbishop Gregory's Easter schedule is as follows: Mass for the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday, April 11, at 8 p.m.; and Easter Sunday Mass of the Resurrection of Our Lord on April 12 at 10 a.m.

Those Masses will be held at St. Matthew's Cathedral in both English and Spanish with sign language interpretation. The events are closed to the public, but will be livestreamed on the Archdiocese of Washington’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/adw.org/) and on its YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/washarchdiocese).