Good Friday Passion Story & Lunch

Our humble Good Friday “meal”.

In another blog post I’ve outlined our family tradition for a home Tenebrae service since one cannot be found in our area.  Below is another beloved family tradition for Good Friday.  Both of these prayer and reflection times can be used on Good Friday or divided up during other days of Holy Week.

I can’t remember where we found this or when we started doing it but it has become a long-standing family tradition for Good Friday.  Feel free to download the plan, reading list, and shopping list here.

Each Good Friday we gather the children around the table (ages 5 to nearly 21) at around 11:30 for our tradition.  As we read certain sections from the Passion narrative different foods are distributed to remind us of the story.  We are given an olive when we read about the Agony in the Garden of Olives.  We receive a cube of cheese with a cocktail sword or toothpick when we read about Jesus’ arrest in the Garden.  Each person receives a peppermint patty wrapped in it’s silver wrapper when we read about Judas’ payment and a Hershey Kiss when he betrays the Lord.

This process of reading and having items placed on our plate continues until Our Lord dies on the Cross.  We then have a moment of silence, eat our humble “meal” and then retire from 12-3 PM, the hours that Jesus was on the Cross, for a time of reflection.  This time is often filled with reading, coloring, walking, or praying but all in a quiet, reflective atmosphere.

I hope this is as much of blessing for your family as it has been for ours.  And for those who may question the sweets on Good Friday, I understand.  What usually happens with our family is that the older kids forego the sweets and save them until Saturday or give them to their younger siblings who are not fasting.  Feel free to find a suitable substitute for any of the items on the list.  If you do, please share them in the comment section for others to use!  Don’t forget to download the PDF for this service Free here.

Did you enjoy this post? Never miss a blog post from James M. Hahn by following now.