Good Friday Prayer

Good Friday Prayer can refer to any of the prayers prayed by Christians on Good Friday, the Friday before Easter, or to all such prayers collectively.

Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine-rite Catholic prayer on Good Friday

Eastern Orthodox Christians and many Byzantine-rite Catholics, who use the same liturgy, spend this day fasting from all food, to the extent that their health permits. Neither the Divine Liturgy nor the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts may be celebrated, thereby fasting from the Eucharist as well (with the exception of communion for the dying). Instead, they come together three times during the day for communal worship:
* "Royal Hours" in the forenoon, includes many Psalms, hymns, Old Testament and New Testament readings
* "Vespers of Great and Holy Friday" in the afternoon, commemorating the Descent from the Cross
* "Matins of Great and Holy Saturday" in the evening, reenacting the Burial of Jesus, with prayers praising him for his death and immanent Resurrection.

The prayers include commemoration of the events of Jesus' crucifixion and burial. During this time, the hymns do not forget the coming Resurrection. Holding both events in tension, the following troparia (hymns) are sung during the afternoon prayers while the epitaphios (shroud) is being carried to the tomb:

: The noble Joseph, when he had taken down Thy most pure Body from the tree, wrapped it in fine linen, and anointed it with spices, and placed it in a new tomb.

: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

: The angel came to the myrrh-bearing women at the tomb and said: :Myrrh is fitting for the dead, but Christ has shown Himself a stranger to corruption.

Roman Catholic Prayers

In the Roman Rite the first part of the Celebration of the Passion of the Lord consists of the reading or chanting of , and the Passion account from the Gospel of John, which is often divided between more than one singer or reader. This part concludes with a series of prayers: for the Church, the Pope, the clergy and laity of the Church, those preparing for baptism, the unity of Christians, the Jewish people, those who do not believe in Christ, those who do not believe in God, those in public office, those in special need.

Some writers use the term "Good Friday Prayer" to refer to one particular prayer among these, namely that offered for the Jewish people.

Alleged antisemitism

In the form used before 1955 it ran like this:: Let us pray also for the faithless Jews: that Almighty God may remove the veil from their hearts [bibleverse|2|Corinthians|3:13-16] ; so that they too may acknowledge Jesus Christ our Lord. ('Amen' "is not responded, nor is said" 'Let us pray', "or" 'Let us kneel', "or" 'Arise', "but immediately is said:") Almighty and eternal God, who dost not exclude from thy mercy even Jewish faithlessness: hear our prayers, which we offer for the blindness of that people; that acknowledging the light of thy Truth, which is Christ, they may be delivered from their darkness. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen. ["Oremus et pro perfidis Judæis: ut Deus et Dominus noster auferat velamen de cordibus eorum; ut et ipsi agnoscant Jesum Christum, Dominum nostrum. (Non respondetur 'Amen', nec dicitur 'Oremus', aut 'Flectamus genua', aut 'Levate', sed statim dicitur:) Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui etiam judaicam perfidiam a tua misericordia non repellis: exaudi preces nostras, quas pro illius populi obcæcatione deferimus; ut, agnita veritatis tuæ luce, quæ Christus est, a suis tenebris eruantur. Per eumdem Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus: per omnia sæcula sæculorum. Amen." ( [http://www.sanctamissa.org/EN/resources/missale-romanum-pdf.html "Roman Missal", 1920 typical edition, pages 221-222] )]

At that time the congregants did not kneel during the prayer for the conversion of the Jews (even though moments of kneeling in silent prayer were prescribed for all of the other petitions in the Good Friday rite), because, it was said, the Church did not wish to imitate the Jews who mocked Christ before his crucifixion by kneeling before him and reviling him.

As part of his major revision of the Holy Week liturgy in 1955, Pope Pius XII instituted kneeling for this petition as at the other petitions of the litany. In 1960, Pope John XXIII removed the word "unfaithful" ( _la. perfidis) from the prayer for the conversion of the Jews.

After the Second Vatican Council, the prayer was completely revised for the 1970 edition of the Roman Missal. Because of the possibility of a misinterpretation similar to that of the word "perfidis", the reference to the veil on the hearts of the Jews, which was based on bibleverse|2|Corinthians|3:14, was removed.

On 7 July 2007, the Vatican released Pope Benedict XVI's motu proprio entitled, "Summorum Pontificum" which permitted more widespread celebration of Mass according to the "Missal promulgated by Pope John XXIII in 1962". The Jewish reactions to the motu proprio have underlined their concern that the traditional formulation, felt offensive for Jews, would be more broadly allowed.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) called "Summorum Pontificum" "a theological setback in the religious life of Catholics and a body blow to Catholic-Jewish relations, after 40 years of progress between the Church and the Jewish people." [http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Diplomacy/11640.htm ADL: Vatican OK of Old Mass a "body blow" to Jewish-Catholic relations] Israelinsider 7 July 2007]

The American Jewish Committee (AJC), on the other hand, expressed "its appreciation to Pope Benedict XVI for his confirmation that the positive changes of Vatican II will apply to his recent decision regarding the Latin Mass, which has been reinstated by the Church".

On 6 February 2008, the Holy See's newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, published a note [ http://newcatholic.googlepages.com/OR_20080206_prima.pdf "Publication under the head" Nota della Segretaria di Stato. ] by the Vatican Secretariat of State, announcing that, with reference to the dispositions of the Motu Proprio "Summorum Pontificum", Pope Benedict XVI had decided to amend the Good Friday prayer for the Jews contained in the Roman Missal of 1962, and decreeing that an amended text "must be used, beginning from the current year, in all celebrations of the Liturgy of Good Friday according to the aforementioned Missale Romanum".

The new prayer reads as follows:

"Let us also pray for the Jews: That our God and Lord may illuminate their hearts, that they acknowledge Jesus Christ is the Savior of all men." ("Let us pray." "Kneel." "Rise.") "Almighty and eternal God, who want that all men be saved and come to the recognition of the truth, propitiously grant that even as the fulness of the peoples enters Thy Church, all Israel be saved. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen." [ "Oremus et pro Iudaeis: Ut Deus et Dominus noster illuminet corda eorum, ut agnoscant Iesum Christum salvatorem omnium hominum." "(Oremus." "Flectamus genua." "Levate.") "Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui vis ut omnes homines salvi fiant et ad agnitionem veritatis veniant, concede propitius, ut plenitudine gentium in Ecclesiam Tuam intrante omnis Israel salvus fiat. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen".]

Anglican Prayers

An Anglican prayer ran like this::O merciful God, who hast made all men, and hatest nothing that thou hast made, nor wouldest the death of any sinner, but rather that he be converted and live; Have mercy upon all Jews, Turks, Infidels, and Heretics, and take from them all ignorance, hardness of heart, and contempt of thy Word; and so fetch them home, blessed Lord, to thy flock, that they may be saved among the remnant of the true Israelites, and be made one fold under one shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen. [Older editions of "The Book of Common Prayer"]

Lutheran prayers

The Good Friday bidding prayer in the "Evangelical Worship" book used by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America reads as followsFact|date=April 2008: :Let us pray for the Jewish people, the first to hear the word of God.:"Silent prayer.":Almighty and eternal God,:long ago you gave your promise to Abraham and your teaching to Moses.:Hear our prayers that the people you called and elected as your own:may receive the fulfillment of the covenant's promises.:We ask this through Christ our Lord.:Amen.

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