Great and Holy Friday

This evening we had the Vespers of Great and Holy Friday, with an outdoor procession.  Towards the end of the service, Father takes the cloth, painted in the style of an icon, that represents the burial shroud of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and the altar boys carry the censer, a clapper, the processional cross, and pillows bearing items symbolic of Christ's suffering and we all sing the Troparion "The Noble Joseph" and process out of the nave, outside and around the parking lot then back in, where Father places the shroud on the Tomb and we are able to come to venerate it and kiss the Wounds of Christ on the Shroud.

On the pillows are attached:  a pair of dice (for the lots that were cast for Jesus' seamless garment), a small lance or spear (for the soldier who pierced the side of Christ), a scourge, a wand and sponge, a crown of thorns, and a hammer and nails.

Here is a YouTube video of the procession while singing the Tropar: (not my parish; I need to practice with the video function on my camera some more)

Afterwards we all went to Confession.  I am one of those people who don't mind going to Confession at all; our priest is a very good confessor and I always get some good insights into why I do the things I don't want to do when I go.  I should go more often but that would mean going to a different parish (Roman), and I would have to go through months of the priest getting to know me and my circumstances, and there is always the chance that I would end up with conflicting advice and truthfully just thinking about it sets my teeth on edge!

It was chilly and rained off and on all day today, and now as I sit here typing this post the wind is whistling in the hemlock trees outside my window and the house gives a little shudder every so often because of the wind.  It's suitable weather for Great Friday, really.