“Good Friday is a bleak day for penance and remembering Christ’s sacrifice”
IN JUST 55 days, on April 5, Christians throughout predominantly Christian Philippines will once more mark that time when the Christ Jesus died on the Cross to redeem humanity, to save mankind from the original sin and promise life with the Lord beyond this earthly life.
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the Holy Bible have recorded that Jesus Christ was made fun of, was not believed and tortured in the praetorium; carried His cross up the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem to Calvary, nailed to the Cross, hung between two common criminals, and suffered an indescribable wrenching end.
The tradition of having reflections, according to theologians, began in the 17th century by a Jesuit priest in Peru who developed a service of meditations for Good Friday based on the last words of Jesus. And the devotion spread round the world.
It is the day Christians remember the passion, crucifixion, and death of Jesus at Calvary. Despite its tragic nature, it is considered “good” because it represents the ultimate sacrifice for the redemption of humanity.
As a predominantly Catholic country, with a high 93 million of 117 million population, Good Friday is not just a holiday but a deeply emotional and spiritual experience, a day of profound mourning, silence, and reflection.
It is considered the climax of Holy Week, which is often regarded as more important than Christmas in the Philippines.
Church services from noon to 3:00 pm focus on the last seven sayings of Jesus on the Cross. In some regions, notably Pampanga in Central Luzon, devotees practice self-flagellation, carry heavy wooden crosses, and, in some cases, undergo voluntary crucifixion to atone for sins or fulfill a panata (vow).
In the afternoon, particularly after 3:00 pm (the time Jesus is believed to have died), processions featuring the statue of the dead Christ are held, accompanied by mournful music.
During the noon-3:00 services, the Seven Last Words, explained by different priests, are traditionally part of a Good Friday service and often include some element of music, prayer or reflection.
But one may ask: why is it called Good Friday?
A day commemorating the crucifixion may not sound very “good,” so why is it called Good Friday?
The origins of the name are still not entirely clear. Theologians say many linguists agree that the name derives from an older usage of the word “good,” meaning “holy” rather than the modern sense of “good” as “something positive.”
The Catholic Encyclopedia has speculated the name comes from “God’s Friday,” or Gottes Freitag in German.
But some linguists argue the “holy” explanation is much more likely.
One may add the question: what is the purpose of Good Friday?
Good Friday marks the beginning of the end of Holy Week, which is the last week of Lent.The last three days of Holy Week are known as “Triduum,” or the “Three Days,” which mark Jesus’ trial, death and resurrection. Triduum begins on the evening of Holy Thursday or “Maundy Thursday” (the day before Good Friday) and ends the evening of Easter Sunday.
Good Friday is a bleak day for penance and remembering Christ’s sacrifice. However, it’s the very darkness of Good Friday that allows believers to feel joyful about the resurrection on Easter Sunday.
Some churches outline this dual purpose of Good Friday:
“There can be no adequate way of recalling the being dead of the Son of God, other than silence and desolation,” the Church says.
“But within the silence there grows a sense of peace and completion, and then rising excitement as the Easter Vigil draws near.”
When religious pilgrimages to the Holy Land ended with military occupation of Jerusalem in the Middle Ages, a popular devotion known as the Way of the Cross arose during Lent retracing the Passion, Crucifixion, and Death of Jesus.
The 14 stations of the Cross are (1) Pilate condemns Jesus to death; (2) Jesus takes up His Cross; (3) He falls the first time; (4) Jesus meets His sorrowful mother Mary; (5) Simon helps carry the Cross; (6) Veronica cleans his face; (7) He falls the second time;
(8) Jesus consoles the women of Jerusalem; (9) He falls the third time; (10) Jesus is stripped of his garments; (11) Jesus is nailed to the Cross; (12) Jesus Christ dies on the Cross; (13) He is taken down from the Cross; (14) Christ is laid in the tomb.
