Why is Good Friday 'good'?
For Christians, Good Friday marks the day on which Jesus Christ was executed. What's so "good" about it?
The origin of the name is a big murky, but many think it evolved from an earlier designation of "God's Friday," which seems more fitting for a day of mourning and sorrow over Christ's sacrificial death. Christians in Germany call it Quiet Friday. In other parts of the world, believers refer to it as Great Friday for Holy Friday.
Sadness, mourning, fasting and prayer have been the day's focus since the early centuries of the church, according to Christianity Today. Many Christians have historically kept their churches unlighted or draped in dark cloth.
Some worshippers participate in a service known as Stations of the Cross, acknowledging 14 images representing Jesus' steps to his crucifixion. Many members of the clergy have suggested that New Orleans area Christians abstain for crawfish boils and other festivities that detract from the reverence of the day. Such suggestions are not always well received.
So is Good Friday actually an oxymoron? Not so says the Baltimore Catechism. It declares that Good Friday is called good because Christ's death "showed His great love for man, and purchased for him every blessing."
The origin of the name is a big murky, but many think it evolved from an earlier designation of "God's Friday," which seems more fitting for a day of mourning and sorrow over Christ's sacrificial death. Christians in Germany call it Quiet Friday. In other parts of the world, believers refer to it as Great Friday for Holy Friday.
Sadness, mourning, fasting and prayer have been the day's focus since the early centuries of the church, according to Christianity Today. Many Christians have historically kept their churches unlighted or draped in dark cloth.
Some worshippers participate in a service known as Stations of the Cross, acknowledging 14 images representing Jesus' steps to his crucifixion. Many members of the clergy have suggested that New Orleans area Christians abstain for crawfish boils and other festivities that detract from the reverence of the day. Such suggestions are not always well received.
So is Good Friday actually an oxymoron? Not so says the Baltimore Catechism. It declares that Good Friday is called good because Christ's death "showed His great love for man, and purchased for him every blessing."
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