GOOD FRIDAY
When our SAVIOUR sacrificed himself..
to free us from our sins.
Q. What is Good Friday and why is it Called Good?
A. Good Friday is the day that marks when Jesus Christ was
crucified on the cross for our salvation. Today the whole Church mourns the
death of Jesus. Good Friday is a day of
fast and abstinence. Catholics are also supposed to meditate and pray between the hours
of noon to three o'clock in the afternoon. These are the hours Jesus hung on the
cross.
Good Friday is called good because on this day Jesus
was crucified for our redemption of our sins. orld: "Holy Friday" for Latin
nations, Slavs and Hungarians call it "Great Friday," in Germany it is "Friday
of Mourning," and in Norway, it is "Long Friday." Some view the term "Good
Friday" (used in English and Dutch) as a corruption of the term "God's Friday."
Good Friday is also the only day that there isn't a full Mass. Catholic
Churches have Good Friday service.
GOOD FRIDAY
Fasting and Penance: After a period of
rejoicing over the birth of Christ, His followers observe a time of penance and
fasting. This period, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Good Friday, is
known as Lent. Fasting and other forms of renunciation or self-sacrifice are
recommended as so many ways of following the example of Jesus, Who fasted for
forty days in the desert, before He began His preaching. Jesus taught the need
of prayer and fasting to overcome the Evil One. The practice of austerities has
always been considered important in Christian spirituality. A plank of wood,
representing the cross on which Christ was crucified is displayed in churches
for the veneration of believers. One by one, they come and kiss it. This is
followed by a service from noon to3 o'clock, in which narratives from the four
Gospels are read out. Sermons, meditation and prayers form part of the ceremony,
in memory of the suffering endured by Jesus Christ for three hours. This is
followed by a general communion service at midnight. In some churches, mourners
wearing black, move in a procession with an image of Christ, and a ceremonial
burial takes place. A day of prayer and penance, the bells of the churches
remain silent on Good Friday.The Cross and the Father's Will: The
preaching and activities of Jesus provoked the admiration of the multitudes, but
also the opposition and hatred of the leaders of lsrael. This resulted in His
death on the Cross on Good Friday. The entire life of Jesus in all its details
was in fulfillment of a divine plan. His Passion and Crucifixion were no
exception. Overcoming His natural repugnance and horror Jesus went to meet His
enemies when it became absolutely clear that surrender to them was the Father's
will. Peter's use of the sword to defend Him was against His Father's will, and
therefore an obstacle in His path, a devilish action. When Peter expressed his
human reaction to Christ's prediction of His Suffering and Death, Jesus called
him Satan (Matthew 16:22-23).The Cross as Liberation: The death of Christ
on the Cross was so entirely against human calculations to establish a kingdom,
or to initiate a world movement of liberation, that this event alone can be said
to be an argument to prove the divinity of Christ. Man-made-gods were always
victorious kings or warriors who carried out their mission by destroying their
enemies through the use of force. Jesus stands unique as the only Son of God Who
saved mankind by accepting death at the hands of His enemies. Jesus did not come
to kill, but to be killed. Through His sacrifice on the Cross He destroyed the
power of the devil, the real enemy of humanity. Evil Conquered by
Goodness: Mary standing near the Cross associated herself in the closest
possible way with the sacrifice of Jesus. The message of Good Friday is that
evil can never be conquered by evil, but only by goodness, violence by
non-violence, hatred by love for the enemy.Good Friday: The Friday before
Easter is the most solemn day for Christians - it is the day Jesus Christ died
on the cross. As such, Good Friday is a day of mourning, and all the ceremonies
and rituals of the day are centred around the feeling of sorrow at the pain and
humiliation that Jesus underwent for the cause of goodness and humanity.
Good Friday marks the end of the 40-day
period of fasting and renunciation during Lent, which recalls the days of
penance Jesus spent in the desert. After this period, Jesus returned to
Jerusalem, and was welcomed as the King of the Jews. The wholehearted acceptance
of Jesus by the people made the rulers fear that they would lose the people's
loyalty, and prompted them to plot against Jesus. With the help of Judas, who
betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, Jesus was arrested for treason and
condemned to be crucified. This happened on Maundy Thursday, a day before Good
Friday. The next day, Good Friday, is the darkest day in Christianity. Jesus was
made to carry the cross on which he was later crucified. Jesus, by his act of
forgiving and praying for even those who were responsible for his death, won a
victory for good over evil. The message of Good Friday is that the dictum of "an
eye for an eye" cannot work. The way to conquer evil is through good. Similarly,
violence can be overcome only by non-violence, and hatred by love. The entire
day is given to fasting and prayer, as a way of following the example of Jesus,
who stressed the role of prayer in the struggle to conquer evil. Some churches
concentrate less on prayers, and instead encourage the people to become involved
in charitable deeds. The service consists of prayers and readings from the
Bible. In many churches, a piece of wood in the shape of the cross is kept.
People pray before the cross and kiss it. Jesus is believed to have died on the
Cross at three in the afternoon. The traditional service lasts for three hours
from noon. But over the years, it has been shifted ahead or behind the original
schedule by a few hours, for the sake of convenience. The service lasts through
the three hours during which Jesus suffered on the cross. It involves sermons,
meditation sessions, and readings from the gospels. A communion service is held
at midnight. In some churches, mourners wear black and enact the Passion of
Christ - scenes of Christ's crucifixion and burial. Many churches cover the
cross and the altar with mourning black, and do not light any candles. At other
churches, candles are lit, but they are extinguished one by one, with the last
one being put out at the moment denoting Jesus' death. The church bells are not
rung on Good Friday. Catholic churches follow the tradition of the Stations of
the Cross. People pass before paintings depicting the important scenes of the
last hours of Jesus' life, reciting prayers and singing hymns. But the
crucifixion also looks forward to Jesus' resurrection. So, the sorrow of Good
Friday is tempered by the expectation and hope offered by Easter Sunday.