聽說門道教會(Gateway)辦逾越節晚宴，我只知道耶穌的最後晚餐正是慶祝逾越節的晚餐(約翰福音13章)，這是猶太人的傳統節慶，紀念整個以色列民族脫離埃及為奴之地，成為自由之身，未曾見過到底如何慶祝? 遵照叮囑: 自備餐具，帶了盤沒有豬肉和發酵食物的菜去赴盛會。
長條桌圍圈一桌坐十人，雕花桌巾，一根蠟燭一盆水，一碟似蘸醬作料，卻加了根無肉的大骨頭。
首先點燃蠟燭，以水淨手擦乾，
手潔心清朝至尊。
亡國近兩千年，猶太民族不改其古老傳統，家家戶戶在每年的早春遵照希伯來曆法過正月的逾越節，又名除酵節。跟中國按農曆過年一樣，逾越節前一週全家大掃除，找出櫥櫃裡所有含發酵物的食品飲料，例如糕餅、麥片、麵點、酒等，有時連加工過的食品、飲料也視為不潔，通通銷毀，這是遵照舊約出埃及記13章記載: 要吃無酵餅七日，到第七日要守節，四周圍不可見有酵的東西，因為一點酵母菌就像罪一樣能發酵坐大，跟三國劉備說的「勿以惡小而為之」如出一轍。不過聰明的猶太人想出變通的辦法: 可以在過節前賣給非猶裔，網路找買主的大有人在!
儀式由一位長老帶領，節目單印了詳細的詩歌、啟應經文，與一般聖餐不同的是象徵贖罪的葡萄汁要倒四次，分別代表成聖、釋放、救贖、頌讚，中間穿插四個由孩童提出的問題，長老機會教育，解釋逾越節由來、民族歷史及所有典故。盤中的鹽水回味以色列人在埃及為奴流汗流淚，苦澀的洋香菜(Parsley) 入口前要沾兩次鹽水，頭一次象徵耶穌被捉拿前極其傷痛的禱告，汗珠如大血點滴在地上；第二次則追念他背負世人罪孽被釘十架，向神呼喊:「你為什麼離棄我?」
無酵餅(Matzah)共有三片，裹成一包象徵聖父、聖子、聖靈三位一體。餅上有刻痕，讓人想到耶穌受的釘刺、鞭刑、壓傷，無罪(酵)的代人受罪。
取出中間的餅一分為二，半片以白布包好，像耶穌被屍布裹起，叫做苦難餅(Afikomen)，這時侯要孩子們閉上眼，大人把苦難餅藏起來。
另半片餅扳碎分給全桌人，先蘸由辣根(horseradish)調製的乳色苦醬，再蘸由蘋果、椰棗、蜂蜜製的甜醬，分而食之，先苦後甜，人生意境藉著耶穌的犧牲而由剝至復。
逾越節由來是因以色列人照摩西囑咐，把羔羊的血塗在門框和門楣上，當晚就著無酵餅和苦菜吃烤羊肉，吃的時候氣氛緊張，穿著鞋，拿著杖，趕緊的吃，因為上帝出手風行雷厲，巡行埃及全地，擊殺一切頭生的人和牲畜，單單越過房屋上有羔羊血為記的以色列家庭。埃及一片喪子哀嚎聲中，喪了太子的法老夜召摩西，下令瘟神盡快走路，最是倉皇辭廟夜，全族立馬開拔出走埃及，帶著沒有酵的生麵，懷著摶面盆，漏夜疾行軍!
也因為上帝交代摩西羊羔的骨頭「一根也不可折斷」，就像耶穌 -上帝的羔羊- 在十字架上雖受盡折磨，兵丁打斷同釘十架兩個強盜的腿骨，卻不打斷他的腿，應驗預言:『他的骨頭，一根也不可折斷』，所以宴席桌上必擺一根完整的羊脛骨。
聚餐過後，敘述耶穌復活的故事，並要孩子們找出先前藏的苦難餅，改叫【我來了】(I have come)，找到者有獎。在詩篇118篇的感恩啟應文裡完成第四道頌讚之杯，逾越節的驚恐遠去，過紅海後的新生、自由和盼望，隨著春天降臨，萬象更新，大家喜孜孜地牽手禱告結束。
天主教在受難節(Good Friday)有拜苦路的儀式，大溪地天主教堂內恰有耶穌苦路之旅的長幅壁畫，迥異於傳統西方畫風，富島嶼色彩，樸實生動，每次看都有新發現，您自個挖寶吧!
至于受難節為何英文稱為《好個週五Good Friday》呢? 除了下文，沒找到答案，請教哪位高明指點迷津?
"The Baltimore Catechism declares that Good Friday is called good because Christ, by His Death, "showed His great love for man, and purchased for him every blessing." Good, in this sense, means "holy," and indeed Good Friday is known as Holy and Great Friday among Eastern Christians, both Catholic and Orthodox. Good Friday is also known as Holy Friday in the Romance languages. In its entry on Good Friday, the Catholic Encyclopedia notes that:
The origin of the term Good is not clear. Some say it is from "God's Friday" (Gottes Freitag); others maintain that it is from the German Gute Freitag, and not specially English. Sometimes, too, the day was called Long Friday by the Anglo-Saxons; so today in Denmark.
If Good Friday were called good because English adopted the German phrase, then we would expect Gute Freitag to be the common German name for Good Friday, but it is not. Instead, Germans refer to Good Friday as Karfreitag—that is, Sorrowful or Suffering Friday—in German.
So, in the end, the historical origins of why Good Friday is called Good Friday remain unclear, but the theological reason is very likely the one expressed by the Baltimore Catechism: Good Friday is good because the death of Christ, as terrible as it was, led to the Resurrection on Easter Sunday, which brought new life to those who believe."
Source: http://catholicism.about.com/od/Good-Friday/f/Why-Is-Good-Friday-Good.htm
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