Good Friday procession enlivens downtown Lynn

LYNN – Flanked by red-robed Roman soldiers who pointed their spears at the unruly crowd, a shackled Jesus walked along Washington Street and through the downtown Friday, the star attraction in the second annual Way of the Cross procession.Led by a Lynn police cruiser with flashing blue lights and a truck laden with electronics that blared dramatic music, the soldiers, Christ figure and two other convicts strapped to wooden crosses plodded along the street, followed by shepherds and villagers eager to witness the crucifixion.For Sister Lus Rodriguez of the Missionary Servants of the Word at St. Joseph’s Church, the colorful pageant was clearly a success. At points along the route, which started at the Stop & Shop supermarket on Washington Street and ended near the church at the intersection of Union and Green streets, scores of children and adults lined up to witness the action.The procession included dozens of amateur actors in period costume, and many took their roles seriously. Jesus was repeatedly beaten with sticks and flogged with rawhide, the blood dripping from his back and the crown of thorns pressed into his head. Sure, it was all make believe, but for those involved it represented something real – the death of their spiritual leader.Friday’s walk was along Washington Street on level ground, but it symbolized Jesus’ climb up the hill at Calvary.The holy day was similarly celebrated in Nahant, where a procession comprised of children and adults from the town’s St. Thomas Aquinas Church and from St. John’s Church in Swampscott carried a wooden cross from Short Beach to the local parish.With the exception of their sandals, most participants were bundled against the cold wind, the last vestige of winter that officially ended a day earlier. After all, March 23 is unusually early for Easter. According to snopes.com, the earliest calendar date on which Easter can fall is March 22, and the latest April 25. The last time Easter fell so early was 1913, and it won’t happen again until 2160.