Day #94: Good Friday of the Easter Triduum

A Gaming sunset

Yesterday afternoon Colin, Nathan, Samantha, and I went on a hike to see the waterfall. There's a beautiful waterfall streaming down a cliff face deep within the mountains around Gaming. The hike wasn't too difficult, and the waterfall was "sublime"- referring to the example in the grammar book C.S. Lewis criticizes in The Abolition of Man. Take that, grammarians! ;-) Sadly, I didn't get photos of it, but I did a little sketch while I was there, which I hope to post on here eventually. But I have posted some photos from previous adventures around Gaming so that you might have a glimpse of what a lovely home we have here in Austria!

Hiking to the caves in Gaming

The Holy Thursday liturgy went smoothly and beautifully. Thanks to all for the prayers! I will cherish the memory of directing music for my first Holy Thursday Mass here in Gaming, Austria. I will also be directing the music today for the Good Friday liturgy. I'm particularly glad I was given this liturgy because back on main campus our schola does the music for this liturgy as well - so even though I'm not together with my fellow music majors today, I will be singing with them in spirit! We are singing O Sacred Head Surrounded, Sing We Now The Savior's Glory, the Stabat Mater, and I will be chanting part of the chant hymn O Faithful Cross, which schola did on Good Friday last year. It's a beautiful hymn, both in text and in melody - I'm so glad I found it on musicasacra.com. My fellow music major here in Austria, Elizabeth, and I tried to find it one night on the interwebs several weeks ago without any luck!
I've been in a mood to watch Ben Hur all week, so I might try to fit it in sometime this weekend, if I get the opportunity. I've been neglecting homework though, as well, so we'll see if the opportunity should arise. If not, I shall wait until I return to the States. I leave you with an excerpt from the chant hymn Crux Fidelis and an excerpt from the Stations of the Cross with meditations written by the recently beatified Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman. We adore you, oh Christ, and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world!

Faithful Cross, above all other,
One and only noble tree:
None in foliage, none in blossom
None in fruit thy peer may be;
Sweetest wood and sweetest iron, 
Sweetest weight is hung on thee.

The St. Francis of Assisi water fountain outside
the St. Francis House

The Fifth Station: Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus to Carry the Cross.

Jesus could bear His Cross alone, did He so will; but He permits Simon to help HIm, in order to remind us that we must take part in His sufferings, and have a fellowship in His work. His merit is infinite, yet He condescends to let His people add their merit to it. The sanctity of the Blessed Virgin, the blood of the Martyrs, the prayers and penances of the Saints, the good deeds of all the faithful, take part in that work which, nevertheless, is perfect without them. He saves us by His blood, but it is through and with ourselves that He saves us. Dear Lord, teach us to suffer with Thee, make it pleasant to us to suffer for Thy sake, and sanctify all our sufferings by the merits of Thy own.