What Is Good Friday And Why Are Christians Celebrating It?

KEY POINTS

Good Friday is a day of great importance for Christians around the world. Each year, followers of the religion commemorate the holy day as a day of sorrow, penance and fasting since it is believed that Jesus Christ died on this day. This year, Good Friday falls on the 2nd day of April.

Other than being seen as a day of rest, Good Friday carries a very special meaning in the religion of Christianity, for it is when Jesus Christ willingly suffered and died on the cross to save humanity from their sins. It is on this day when the wrath of God against sin was poured out on Jesus, and so it is also on this day when humanity is believed to have been granted forgiveness and salvation by the Almighty, according to Christianity.com.

Contrary to its moniker, Good Friday is when Jesus underwent tremendous public torture. The Son of God was flogged, beaten, and ordered to carry the cross on which he would be crucified to death. As to the origins of its name, some argue that it developed from an older name, which was “God’s Friday.” Regardless, Christians still regard the name appropriate, for it is exactly because of the suffering and death of Jesus that humans are now able to experience the joy of Easter.

In the Holy Bible, Psalm 85:10 tells of a day when “righteousness and peace” would “kiss each other.” The cross of Jesus is where that occurred, where God’s demands, his righteousness, coincided with his mercy. Humanity then received divine forgiveness, mercy and peace because Jesus willingly took the divine punishment, the result of God’s righteousness against sin.

Because of this, Good Friday is seen as the day when God’s wrath and mercy met at the cross, which is why the holy day is seen as both a day of sorrow and a day of goodness. At present, the liturgy of Good Friday is commemorated by wearing the color black to express grief over the death of the Savior, while others abstain from eating. A mass is also held at church to pray at exactly 3:00 pm as it is said that Jesus died on the cross at this time.

The question of whether Jesus’ death should be observed was considered a major controversy in early Christianity, as per Britannica. Up until the 4th century, the Savior’s Last Supper, death and resurrection were all celebrated in one day. The three major events have since been commemorated separately, with Easter being considered as the pivotal event.

Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit, left, lead a Good Friday prayer ceremony at Notre-Dame last week. Photo: POOL / Ludovic MARIN