Great Friday.
Great Week. Strict Fast. Abstention from meat, dairy and eggs, and foods that contain these ingredients. According to liturgical prescriptions, the Divine Liturgy is not celebrated today.
Matins – John 13:31-18:1. John 18:1-28. Matthew 26:57-75. John 18:28-19:16. Matthew 27:3-32 Mark 15:16-32. Matthew 27:33-54. Luke 23:32-49. John 19:25-37. Mark 15:43-47. John 19:38-42. Matthew 27:62-66.
First Hour – Zechariah 11:10-13. Galatians 6:14-18. Matthew 27:1-56. Third Hour – Isaiah 50:4-11. Romans 5:6-11. Mark 15:16-41. Sixth Hour – Isaiah 52:13-54:1. Hebrews 2:11-18. Luke 23:32-49. Ninth Hour – Jeremiah 11:18-23. 12:15,9-11,14,15. Hebrews 10:19-31. John 18:28-19:37.
Vespers – Exodus 33:11-23. Job 42:12-16. Isaiah 52:13-54:1. 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:2. Matthew 27:1-38. Luke 23:39-43. Matthew 27:39-54. John 19:31-37. Matthew 27:55-61.
Read 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:2
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory for ever!
St. Leo the Great: On the Passion, VIII:
O wondrous power of the Cross! O ineffable glory of the Passion, in which is contained the Lord’s tribunal, the world’s judgment, and the power of the Crucified! For you drew all things unto You, Lord and when You had stretched out Your hands all the day, long to an unbelieving people that gainsaid You (Isaiah 65:2), the whole world at last was brought to confess Your majesty. You drew all things unto You, Lord, when all the elements combined to pronounce judgment in execration of the Jews’ crime, when the lights of heaven were darkened, and the day turned into night, and the earth also was shaken with unwonted shocks, and all creation refused to serve those wicked men.
You drew all things unto You, Lord, for the veil of the temple was rent, and the Holy of Holies existed no more for those unworthy high-priests: so that type was turned into Truth, prophecy into Revelation, law into Gospel. You drew all things unto You, Lord, so that what before was done in the one temple of the Jews in dark signs, was now to be celebrated everywhere by the piety of all the nations in full and open rite. For now there is a nobler rank of Levites, there are elders of greater dignity and priests of holier anointing: because Your cross is the fount of all blessings, the source of all graces, and through it the believers receive strength for weakness, glory for shame, life for death.
Now, too, the variety of fleshly sacrifices has ceased, and the one offering of Your Body and Blood fulfils all those different victims: for You are the trueLamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29), and in Yourself so accomplished all mysteries, that as there is but one sacrifice instead of many victims, so there is but one kingdom instead of many nations.