Thread by @dianabutlerbass

1 - Jesus is condemned to death

God of the accused,
& the accusing,
who made the mouths, the ears & the hearts
of all in conflict.
May we turn ourselves towards that which must be heard,
because there we will hear your voice.

Amen.

(prayers by Padraig O Tuama)

2 - Jesus takes up the cross

Burdened God,
who bore the weight of wood
on torn shoulders,
We pray for the torn & the burdened,
that they may be held together by
guts & goodness.
Because you were held together
by guts & goodness.

Amen.

(prayer: P. O Tuama)

3 - Jesus falls for the 1st time

God of the ground,
whose body was-like ours-from dust,
& who fell-like we fall-to the ground.
May we find you on the ground
when we fall.
Oh, our falling fallen brother,
may we find you,
so that we may inhabit
our stories,
our selves.

Amen.

4 - Jesus meets his mother

Mary, Mother of Failure,
You met your son at the end,
in a place beyond words
& must have felt faithless
& empty & alone.
We pray that we may have the grace
to live w/our own
stories of failure,
knowing love can continue
even when things end.

Amen.

5 - Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross

Simon of Cyrene,
stranger from afar,
You were a help
to an unknown man.
We pray for all who help:
that their help may by helpful;
that their kindness may be kind.
Because yours was
even tho you knew
you couldn't do
enough.

Amen.

6 - Veronica wipes the face of Jesus

Veronica,
your story is doubted
but valuable.
You did what you could
even though it was very little.
May we do the same
even when we doubt.

Amen.

7 - Jesus falls the 2nd time

God of the Fall,
You felt the fall
when your body fell to the ground
a second time.
Gather all who fall.
Gather all our fallings.
Gather the voices.
Gather the breath that's forced from our bodies.
Because falling, too,
has a story.

Amen.

8 - Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem

Women of Jerusalem,
while you mourned,
Jesus saw you
and spoke to you -
he in his sorrow seeing you in yours.
May we see each other,
even when we feel unseen.
Because when we see each other,
we are seen ourselves.

Amen.

9 - Jesus falls the 3rd time

Jesus of the dirt,
you were led to death
because of how you lived.
Help us to live like this;
walking & falling, & walking
& falling,
like you,
in the ways of the living
& the dead.

Amen.

10 - Jesus is stripped

Jesus of the flesh,
Naked you came from the womb
& naked you were made for the cross.
What was designed
for indignity & exposure
you held w/dignity & defiance.
May we do the same
Because you needed it
Because we need it.

Amen.

11 - Jesus is nailed to the cross

Jesus of Nazareth,
This cross was a torture.
It only gives life
because you made it hollow.
Bring life to us, Jesus,
especially when we
are in the the places of the dead.
Because you brought life
even to the instruments of death.

Amen.

12 - Jesus dies on the cross

Jesus...
You never grew old, always young
& most of us grow older than you did.
When lives are cut short
the living question the meaning of living.
May we live w/meaning
even when meaning fades,
making meaning
so that we
have something to live for.

13 - Jesus placed in the arms of his mother

Mary, Mother of Death,
You held the corpse of your young son
-the worst of fears-
in your arms
as he went where we haven't yet gone.
We mark this
w/silence & art.
May we also learn from fear,
because fear
won't save us from anything.

14 - Jesus is placed in the tomb

Jesus of the unexpected,
for at least some of your life
this was not how you imagined its end.
Yet even at the end,
you kept steady in your conviction.
Jesus, keep us steady.
Jesus, keep us steady.
Because, Jesus, keep us steady.

Amen.

May this Good Friday open your eyes and heart to the Christ found in and through the world.

The prayers in this thread are from Padraig O Tuama, "Daily Prayer with the Corrymeela Community."