Good Friday Reflection and Scripture for Home

Notes for parents: 1.) When speaking of Jesus’ death with children always continue immediately to make the announcement that Jesus rose from the dead. We do this because Jesus’ death and resurrection are one event. 2.) Death was not the end, but the beginning of more life. Jesus rose from the dead with a new life, a life that was stronger than death. 3.) Jesus wanted to share his Risen life with all people. In Baptism, we receive this life of the Risen Christ that is stronger than death. 4.) Children – even very young ones – know that bad things happen. The message of Easter is that resurrection, new life and the goodness and power of God always triumph over the bad. Love continues even in death. 5.) The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd holds the belief that early and mid-childhood years are not the time to go into great detail about the crucifixion and death of Jesus. There will be many years in upper elementary, middle school and high school to hear and wrestle with the details of the passion and death of Jesus. When younger children have questions, just answer them simply and briefly. 

Good Friday – Reflection, Scripture, Prayer 

Items needed: Bible, candle, matches, crosses from your home, City of Jerusalem Map and colored pencils for older children. The map may be found as a separate link in this section of the website. 

Reflection: Family members may take turns reading the reflection paragraphs and scriptures below. 

Today is the day that the church remembers that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, laid down his life for the sheep. His life wasn’t taken from him. He gave it.  The Good Shepherd is always with the sheep, always giving himself to them, but on the day that Jesus died he fulfilled the words from the Gospel of John “and I lay down my life for the sheep.”  

Read: John 10: 14-16

On the night that Jesus died, he ate a special meal, called the Passover Meal, with his disciples in the Cenacle or the Upstairs Room. That night over the bread and wine, Jesus said some words that had never been said before. He wanted his disciples to know that he would always be with them. 

Read: Mark 14: 22-24, 26

Jesus and his disciples went to the Mount of Olives to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane.  While Jesus was praying, he was arrested and taken by soldiers back into the City of Jerusalem.  The soldiers took Jesus to the house of the great high priest, Caiphas, to King Herod’’s Palace, and to the Tower of Antonia where Pontius Pilate stayed when he was in Jerusalem. A crowd gathered and the people demanded that Jesus be crucified, that he be hung on a cross to die.

Sometimes we wonder, why would others do that? Maybe they were afraid of Jesus. Maybe they felt threatened because so many people loved him and followed him. Maybe they did not know Jesus. Maybe they did not understand him. Maybe they had closed their hearts to love.

Jesus was crucified on Mt. Calvary. He died on a cross and his body was placed in a tomb, which was a cave on the side of the hill. A large stone was rolled in front of the tomb. Three days later when Jesus’ friends, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome came to the tomb, what did they find?  

              Read Mark 16: 4- 7

Prayer:  Thank you, God, for the gift of your son, Jesus, and for the gift of his resurrection. We light this candle to remember that Jesus is alive. (Light candle and sit in silence for few minutes of silent prayer.)

Song idea: Be Still and Know