The Jewish feast of Passover begins tonight at sundown. During the Seder meal of traditional foods, such as bitter herbs and roast lamb, the story of the liberation of God’s people from slavery in Egypt is retold. In many communities, an interfaith version of Seder is celebrated, sometimes on Holy Thursday or during Holy Week.

But on Good Friday, Catholics solemnly remember the death of Jesus, which liberated the people of God from slavery to sin. We retell the story of his passion and death, and venerate the cross on which he died. It’s solemn, but not maudlin.

It’s interesting that the ten Solemn Intercessions for this liturgy do not include any mention of innocent people who have been condemned to death. One might think that today, of all days, we might pray for the victims of unjust regimes and those wrongly executed in a rush to judgment. We might pray for those who have died in government-sponsored genocide in country after country. We might pray for those soon to die at the hands of the state.

We may have to do that praying privately.

Christ, our Passover, is sacrificed for us.

M.D. Ridge