Fr. Bill’s CD Lyrics
Paintbrush in the Green : Three Hours (Good Friaday's Chant)
(Chant seems so right as a musical expression for Good Friday’s awesome mystery of Christ’s death for us. I’ll always remember the night I sang it at St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy…Good Friday, very dark church…the echo of the words was something mystical, spiritual and almost out-of-body for me. I later attributed that to the Good Friday fast, but it was more surely the Holy Spirit’s gift for that holy night prayer!)
Three hours…
hanging on a tree, a throne, a cross
For you and me
Three nails…
fasten Him so all may be set free
When the sun at highest peaking
Shown the hour of noon
Glaring was our treachery, necessity too-clearly seen
Time and all eternity marked by the driven nail
Friday Good beyond our grasp
may true repentance now prevail
Mid the shouts the cruel mocking
He thirsted for the Fathers voice
As the scouring wounds sang open of His love
Sacrifice pays for sins darkest choice
Mother honored even to the end standing by
And repentant thief Jesus heals with kingdom promise
Clouds of grief then gather
Come to pour out heavens multitude of tears
Third hour opens mercies purest fount
A piercing thrust grieving heals
Three hours….
hanging on a tree, a throne, a cross
For you and me
Three nails…
fasten Him so all may be…set free!