Good Friday History, Why called Good Friday, Celebrating the return of the Son of the Holy Father
There is no religion that is more shrouded in mysteries than Christianity. Right from the birth of Jesus to a virgin mother, his modes of teaching, his disciples and the way he died, all have been the focal point of many controversies. There are many theories about the bloodline of Jesus and the secret society called the Illuminate, members of which are supposedly in charge of the safety and wellbeing of the bloodline. According to reports, stalwarts like Leonardo di Vinci and Newton were part of the secret society. The death of the Masaya and the story of his return has fascinated the followers of the religion and otherwise.
History of Good Friday
The auspicious day of the “good Friday” is observed by the followers of the religion, all over the world. In most parts of the planet, the day is observed as a holiday. The day is actually celebrated for remembering the execution of Jesus Christ. He died at Calvary. The story of Good Friday has many adaptations but the bottom-line remains the same.
When is it celebrated?
The day is celebrated during the week that comes before the Easter Sunday. It is called the Paschal Triduum. The entire week is called the Holy Week. The day is also known as the Holy Friday, Black Friday, or Great Friday. The day sometimes falls on the same day of the auspicious even of “Passover.” This event is mainly observed by the Jews. Due to the mode of calculation from one year to the other, the date of the celebration keeps changing. This year, 14th of April will be celebrated as Good Friday all over the world.
Why is it called Good Friday?
According to the decree of the ruler, the Son of the Holy Father was mercilessly whipped and dragged on the stress of the town. He was made to wear the crown of thorns and blood dripped from this forehead. To add to this torment, the king’s soldiers made him pick up and carry the heavy wooden cross, on which he was impaled. Thus, what is so “good” about the day? Why has it been termed as the “Good Friday” when nothing remotely good happened?
Well, to understand this, you will have to let go of the literal meaning of the term and delve deep into the assumed connotations. One theory suggests that the word was not actually good. It was “God.” With time, the pronunciation and meaning got corrupted and we now have “Good Friday” instead of “God’s Friday.”
Another theory suggests that here the term “Good” has not been used to mean something nice. It has been used to represent an auspicious and religious connection. Here, “good” actually means religious significance of the day. As the importance of the day has been recognized by the highest church, the event and the day was eventually termed as “Good Friday.”
The third view has been propounded by the Catholic School called Baltimore Catechism. The teachings of this institute say that as the Son of our Holy Father died to bring some reform in the lives of the people, it was the highest act of sacrifice and love. It was due to his great affection for mankind that even on the cross, He begged his Holy Father to forgive the sins of men and grand them His blessings. It was due to this good love that the day has been termed as “Good Friday.”
Meaning of Good Friday
There is hardly one concrete meaning of Good Friday, both in the dictionary and on the internet. Most of the terms, which one would come up, will give a literal and textual sense of the word. The real meaning of the word Good Friday is relative to each person and will depend on the sentiments that they hold towards Jesus and the religion.
To some, on this day, the Holy Father made the biggest sacrifice by giving man the only Son, whom he had sent on earth of rid it of all evil. The day was also called The Passion of Christ. Though Jesus knew that obeying His Father will lead him to his death, He kept his trust on the Holy Father and carried his cross till he was dragged on to it and nailed. Even after enduring so much pain, inflicted on Him by the people, Jesus never abandoned his disciples. With His last breath, He asked the Holy Father to forgive His sinners and murderers.
To the others, the real meaning of Good Friday lies in the fact that at 3:00 p.m, Jesus took his last breath on the wooden cross and yet he never cursed his sinners. Instead, he gave up his life so that people could learn something and change their views. By giving up his life, Jesus took away men’s eternal damnation.
What happened on Good Friday?
On the day before Good Friday, one of the disciples of Jesus betrayed him. The name of the disciple was Judas. He told the royal soldiers that Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane. After Jesus was captured, all this disciples fled the scene but Peter remained close by. Jesus has already foretold that very soon, even Peter will dismiss any connections with his teacher. When this happened, Peter was much ashamed of himself and started sobbing. After being captured, the common people brought the Holy Son in front of Caiaphas. Once Jesus was tried by the high placed priests, all of them wanted him dead. But the Roman law did not give the priests the authority to pass the decree. Thus, Jesus was produced in front of Pontius Pilate and wad falsely accused. It was Pontius Pilate who gave Jesus the final death sentence.
Death by crucifixion was harsh saved for offenders and slaves. To start with, Jesus was beaten by Roman troopers. At that point he was made to convey His cross to the place of execution. Jesus became excessively powerless from the beating. It was impossible to transport His cross the distance; the troopers constrained a man named Simon of Cyrene to deliver it whatever is left of the way.
The cross was set between two other men who were being killed that day. The militaries nailed Jesus to the cross. They put a sign on the cross to deride Jesus that stated, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”
About twelve, bizarre things start to happen. Haziness came over the land for three hours. At that point Jesus shouted out, “Father, into your hands I praise my soul,” and after that He passed on. The drape of the sanctuary was strangely torn in two, and there was an incredible quake.
It was Friday evening, and the Sabbath would begin at dusk. It was likewise an extremely uncommon Sabbath since it was Passover. The Jewish pioneers needed all bodies covered before the Sabbath began on the grounds that they were not permitted to do any work on the Sabbath.
One of Jesus’ supporters, a man from the town of Arimathea named Joseph, went to Pilate and requested Jesus’ body. He took Jesus’ body and quickly place it in another tomb that had been cut in shake. He rolled a huge stone before the tomb to seal it.
Good Friday celebration Pontius Pilate
Though there are no traditional ways, which must be followed for celebrating Good Friday, different Christian communities observe the day in different ways. The Byzantine Christian community is required to fast for the entire day and remember the biggest sacrifice that Lord made for mankind. They refrain from the consumption of any meat, egg or dairy products. Apart from this, they also pray and remember Jesus. They often take part in the Matins and read the Twelve Passion Gospels.
The Protestant community goes to the church and prays to the Lord for the forgiveness of their sins. They even attend the religious seminars and meeting, which are often organized by the church or the pastors to bring the people closer to the religion.
According to the rules of the Roman Catholic Church, on the day of Good Friday, no mass is organized. People do visit the church and pray in front of Jesus and attend Holy Communion, organized by the leaders of the church or the priests. Organizing Passion Plays, depicting the events of the day, is common among many Christian communities. People often visit the houses of their relatives or friends on the day. It is a tradition to serve the guests hot noon tea and sweet breads, which have pieces of fruits and raisins. An interesting aspect of these buns is that they are shaped like the cross on which Jesus was killed.
At 3:00 P.M, which is the official time when Jesus drew his last breath, followers of Christianity, offer their prayers and sing the praise of the Holy Son of the Holy Father. On this day, people think about the life, teachings and the death of the Holy Son and how he sacrificed his life for the betterment of the entire world.
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