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Easter is quickly approaching, but those who observe the event strictly will honour the season on Good Friday.
Holy Week is the week preceding Easter and begins after the 40-day Lenten season ends. Good Friday occurs every year during this week, two days before Easter.
Why Is Good Friday Celebrated
While Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter, Good Friday is an important aspect of Christ’s tale that is central to Easter celebrations. Good Friday is the day when Christian and Catholic churches commemorate Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and death. “If Easter is the celebration of Christ’s resurrection from the tomb, Good Friday is the day in which the church commemorates everything from his condemnation to his passion.”
Why is it called Good Friday?
Good and death don’t exactly go together, the “good” in Jesus Christ’s death is that, in Christian philosophy, his death represents humanity’s salvation, and that Easter celebrations would be impossible without what happened on Good Friday. Christ is offering himself on the cross. It is an outpouring of God’s love to offer himself on the cross, but it does not end there.
The commemoration of Christ’s passion is more than just focusing on the misery of it all; the agony has a purpose. That is God’s gift of redemption to the world, which is fulfilled in the resurrection.
How do you celebrate Good Friday?
Worshipers around the world engage in a variety of actions on Good Friday to reflect on and commemorate Christ’s death. It should be understood as a human act involving repentance, with worshipers confessing their faults and professing their commitment to God. Unlike most religious festivals, Mass is not typically celebrated on Good Friday; instead, readings from the Gospel, cross veneration, and Holy Communion are observed.
“There’s almost a liturgical fast and so far as the things that are taken for granted, like the celebration of the Eucharist. Annual things like Good Friday tend to conserve a lot of unique traditions that go back really far in history.
Also practised are the Stations of the Cross, in which worshippers pray and meditate along 14 “stations” or representations portraying Christ’s journey from condemnation to crucifixion and eventual death. In various parts of the world, believers will also stage passion plays in which they recreate the events, similar to what is done during Christmas Mass the birth of Christ.
Conclusion
Good Friday is observed all around the world because of its great significance in Christianity. It commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, which is regarded as a watershed moment in Christian theology. Good Friday is a day of meditation, penance, and solemnity as believers remember Jesus’ suffering on the cross for the forgiveness of humanity’s sins. Good Friday commemorates Jesus Christ’s tremendous compassion, mercy, and sacrifice. It is a time for Christians to pray, worship, and reflect on Jesus’ passion and suffering before his crucifixion.
Many churches organize special ceremonies and processions centred on the Stations of the Cross, which reenact the final moments of Jesus’ life. Good Friday also conveys a message of hope and salvation, since Christians believe that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross made possible the forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life. It is a time to meditate on the profound implications of Jesus’ death and resurrection, in preparation for Easter Sunday’s jubilant celebration.
