In Delhi, the faithful ‘worship from home’ this Good Friday and Easter

One of the most sacred days of the Christian calendar, the Good Friday, or the day Christ was crucified, was observed across homes in the national capital and suburban towns.

In preparation for the Good Friday and Easter Sunday in the time of lockdown, Reverend Prateek Pillai of the St James’s Church in Kashmere Gate, the oldest in Delhi, took inspiration from the life of Jesus Christ.

Sacred Heart Cathedral near Gol Dak Khana remains closed on the occasion of Good Friday, as mass gatherings have been suspended. (ANI Photo)

“Jesus had his Last Supper indoors, together with his disciples with whom he shared bread,” Pillai said. “So, this year, we, too, encouraged our laity to observe Good Friday at home with their families. With so much talk of “work from home” happening, we told our congregation to “worship from home” this time.”

One of the most sacred days of the Christian calendar, the Good Friday, or the day Christ was crucified, was observed across homes in the national capital and suburban towns. The occasion was made even more sombre for the over 2 billion followers of Christ as the world reels under the Covid-19 pandemic. Churches adhered to all instructions from the government, their diocese and, in the case of Catholics , the Vatican.

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Ever since the Delhi government had banned the congregation of people in the city for any purpose, churches had informed their members of timings when sermons, services and mass will be broadcast online so that the faithful could virtually be a part of the service.

But for Leelamma Mathew, 52, of west Delhi’s Janakpuri, who had not missed a single Good Friday service at church till now, says the virtual experience was “not to her liking”.

Mathew’s daughter had helped her tune in to their local church’s service over phone. “But the church gave us a feeling of being in the presence of the lord,” she said. “Normally, it is also the time that we would break the fast by receiving the Holy Communion followed by some gruel. This time, we had to make do with whatever we had prepared at home.”

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Her feelings were echoed by others as well. “Due to the lockdown, we are stuck at home,” said Amol Benny, a resident of Noida. “Other times, we would meet our relatives and have food together. This time, it was in front of the TV with family.”

Ceremonies during the Holy Week were cut short, as several of the rituals such as the washing of the feet, the Holy Communion and touching of the cross would have required violating social distancing norms.

For priests too, the experience was a novel one, not to mention a lonely one.

“Several priests, including myself, had gone to the church to officiate the mass,” Father Christopher of the Rosary Church at Kingsway Camp said. “It was surreal to do it before empty pews.”

“For those who did not have access to the live streaming of the Good Friday service, we sent out PDF files in advance, so that they could get them printed and hold the Good Friday service at home,” Reverend Pillai said.

On Easter Sunday, which will also mark the culmination of the Holy Week, Catholics across the globe will tune in to listen to Pope Francis, who will lead the virtual prayers. In India, where the Easter prayers would have been completed by then, watching the Pope on TV would give many strength during this difficult time.