Friday of the Passion of the Lord (Good Friday) at Holy Trinity Church, Tawau

HTC SOCCOM TEAM TAWAU 

Tawau : Friday of the Passion of the Lord (Good Friday), 29th March 2013 , was celebrated at 3.00 pm with Msgr. Nicholas Ong as the priest celebrant.  Some 3000 parishioners  including those from the nearby chapels and and outstations attended the service, drawing the biggest crowd compared to other services. The seven large canopies erected at the front and side of the church were fully packed.

The Lord's Passion consists of three parts; the Liturgy of the Word, the Adoration of the Cross and Holy Communion. The Gospel, John 18 : 1 - 19 : 42 depicts the Messiah Himself is Crucified. However, this symbol of Jesus' death powerfully presents the reality of God's infinite and unconditional love for all peoples. Jesus' crucifixion is a paradox of 'Suffering in Victory' and three days later turned into a 'Victory through Sufferings.' This is probably one of the most difficult, most challenging, most brutal passages in all of scripture. 

But the absence we experience is profound. No bells. No consecration. A bare altar. An empty tabernacle.  It feels almost like time has stopped.  It does. We hang in a moment of suspended time, waiting for the most glorious moment in the Easter Vigil tomorrow, when God will say, “Let there be light,” and this church and our world will once again be ablaze.

But here, and now, we wait. We grieve. We mourn. We hope. And our eyes turn to the cross. In Eden, a tree brought about our condemnation.  Today, another tree brings about our redemption.  Behold the wood of the cross, on which hung the salvation of the world. Come let us adore.

Msgr Nicholas approached the Cross, genuflected and kissed the Cross, followed by EMCs and the Altar Servers. Right after Holy Communion, the faithful in long line, waited for their turn to genuflect and kiss the Cross. Afterwhich, they departed in silence.