Good Friday marks the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. It is also known as Black Friday, Holy Friday, Great Friday and Easter Friday. It commemorates the final hours of Jesus' life, his crucifixion and death. On Good Friday, Christians remember that Jesus died for everyone. He was crucified by the Romans.
According to the Baltimore Catechism - the standard US Catholic school text from 1885 to the 1960s, Good Friday is good because Christ "showed His great love for man, and purchased for him every blessing".
But I wondered why is Good Friday still called “Good Friday” and not by any other names mentioned above? My research showed that the word 'Good' carries the same meaning as the original Old English word, in that it means pious or holy. Most historical evidence supports that we call the Friday before Easter Sunday “good” because the word used to mean “holy” – by His death, Jesus became the final and complete sacrifice for our sins!
According to Britannica, in the Greek and Roman liturgical books, it is called the Great Week because great deeds were done by God during this week. On Good Friday, God demonstrated his love for humankind in the greatest way possible.
Traditionally, there is no Mass and no celebration of the Eucharist on Good Friday. Church bells are silent. Altars are left bare. This solemn, muted atmosphere is preserved until the Easter Vigil.
No comments:
Post a Comment