1. Foreword
We should go with Jesus from the Garden to the Cross, then follow him to the tomb, and wait in the barren silence that reigned in his mother's heart, even as our Lord moved through the underworld, collecting the righteous souls from centuries past, whom he would release into heaven. ...
I. Good Friday in Church
2. Bible Readings for Good Friday (April 14)
https://MalankaraWorld.com/Library/Lectionary/Lec_passion-Good-Friday.htm
3. Sermons for Good Friday (April 14)
https://MalankaraWorld.com/Library/Sermons/Sermon-for-Passion-week_Good-Friday.htm
II. Gospel Saturday in Church
4. Bible Readings for Gospel Saturday (April 15)
https://MalankaraWorld.com/Library/Lectionary/Lec_passion-Holy-saturday.htm
5. Sermons for Gospel Saturday (April 15)
https://MalankaraWorld.com/Library/Sermons/Sermon-for-Passion-week_Saturday.htm
6. Malankara World Journal Specials on Good Friday and Gospel Saturday
7. Malankara World Passion Week Supplement
Malankara World has a supplement that provides detailed information about Passion Week including articles, prayers, sermons, etc. You will find it here:
Passion Week Supplement in Malankara World
https://MalankaraWorld.com/Library/Lent/Passion/Default.htm
Malankara World has developed a daily plan of bible readings, meditations, reflections, and prayers for Passion Week. You will find it here:
Today in Passion Week
https://MalankaraWorld.com/Library/Lent/Passion/ Passion_Today_archives.htm
III. Good Friday Reflections
8. Great and Holy Friday
On this most somber day of the liturgical year, the holy Church directs our attention to the awful and awesome sufferings which the immortal Son of God endured for our sake. 'The One Who is without passions now comes to His voluntary passion'. 'When I am lifted up from the Earth, I will draw everyone to Myself' (JN 12:32). ...
9. The Forsaken Christ
This is the word from the cross for you. No one has ever been as alone as Jesus was. You will never be forsaken as he was. No cry of your pain can exceed the cry of his pain when God turned his back and looked the other way. ...
10. Four Immediate Results of Jesus' Death on the Cross
By His obedience, Jesus has canceled our disobedience; His humility has canceled our pride. Yet the weakness of God is more powerful than any worldly force. The centurion, who knew power and was trained to respect it, saw in the earthquake and the other occurrences, an indication of the Lord's glory. ...
11. Five Who Tried to Stop Easter... and Failed
Have you ever thought about how many people tried to stop Jesus' life, death and resurrection, whether for good or bad? Here are 5 who tried to stop Jesus' life, death, or resurrection and failed according to God's plan. ...
12. Why Did Jesus Die in His Thirties?
St. Thomas notes that because Jesus died while in the prime of His life, the sacrifice was greater. His apparent lack of any disease or physical imperfections also increased His sacrifice. ...
IV. Gospel Saturday
13. Great and Holy Saturday: The Harrowing of Hell
On Great and Holy Saturday morning, the Orthodox Church commemorates Christ's decent into Hades and the releasing of the souls of all who were held captive by death. ... When Jesus died on the Cross, Hades accepted His soul thinking that it was accepting the soul of a man, only to find out that it had accepted God, the uncontainable, into its midst. ...
14. Great and Holy Saturday Morning
We are overcome by humble gratitude as we begin to grasp, even in a limited way, the implications of His sacrificial self-emptying for the sake of our salvation. 'We stand unworthily before (His) tomb' (Oktoekhos, Tone 1) and offer our hymns of praise. ...
15. Great and Holy Saturday Evening
The holy Church has kept a silent widow's vigil at the tomb of her Bridegroom for many hours now. No liturgical services have been held since we placed our Lord Jesus Christ (as symbolized by the image of His shroud) in the tomb, long before dawn. Everything -- nature, the world, the Church -- is silent, pregnant with hopeful anticipation. ...
16. Great and Holy Saturday Night
Hidden from our sight, Our Lord's humanity and divinity together are now completing the work of ransoming those who are no longer alive on Earth, but who are imprisoned by Death and Hades (1 PET 3:18-21). ...
17. About Malankara World
