Good Friday

Why GOOD Friday? Christians know the joy of Easter is through Christ's death

By Khalid Moss

Staff Writer

Friday, March 21, 2008

What's so good about Good Friday?

It's the most somber day of the year in Christendom; the day Jesus was mocked by Romans and crucified before an angry mob. You might think not a lot of good can flow from such a scenario.

But miraculously, it did.

"The whole point of Good Friday is that it is this pivotal moment when the death of Christ is the transformative moment," said Alex Tuss of Dayton's Marianist Mission. "And whether you look at it as the passage to death or the passage to life, it's still that pivotal moment.

"Jesus not only lived and ministered as the perfect human but he died and rose to new life as the savior of sinners," Tuss said.

For Catholics and other Christians, the "Triduum" is the three-day period marking the death and burial of Jesus Christ. The Triduum is frequently observed by attending a worship service on each day.

The Triduum

Maundy Thursday: The Thursday before Easter remembers the night before Jesus died when he shared "Last Supper" with his disciples and washed their feet as a sign of the "new commandment."

Good Friday: Called "good" because of the wonder and meaning that flowed from it. On Good Friday, some Christians abstain from meat or refrain from food altogether. It is the only day of the year Catholic Mass is not held.

Holy Saturday: The day of waiting. Not much is said about it in the Bible except that disciples were in hiding and women were preparing to visit the tomb in order to prepare Jesus' body for burial.

What's so good about Good Friday?

"It was one of the saddest days in Christianity, but it was good because it was the day Jesus gave himself for us," said the Rev. James McCellan of St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church. "If he had not died, we wouldn't be at the point of Resurrection Sunday. He took on all the sins of the world that day so we could have an abundant life. That's why Good Friday is good."