Good Friday: What You Should Know and Top 5 Quotes Associated with It

As Easter approaches, those who observe it religiously commemorate the season with Good Friday, which takes place during Holy Week, two days before Easter.

Good Friday holds significance in the story of Jesus Christ and is part of something bigger, according to Gabriel Radle, an assistant professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, as reported by USA Today.

What does Good Friday mean?

Good Friday is the day when Christian and Catholic churches commemorate the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. While Easter celebrates Christ's resurrection from the tomb, Good Friday is a time for the church to reflect on everything from his condemnation to his passion, as Radle explains.

Despite the apparent contradiction, Good Friday is called "good" in Christian ideology because it represents the redemption of humanity. Radle describes it as an outpouring of God's love through Christ's sacrifice on the cross, with a purpose that ultimately finds fulfilment in the resurrection.

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Good Friday is also known by different names around the world, such as "Great Friday," "Holy Friday," "Sorrowful Friday" in Germany, or "Sacred Friday."

How is Good Friday commemorated?

Commemorating Good Friday involves various practices worldwide. Mass is not usually held on this day, and instead, readings of the Gospel, veneration of the cross, and Holy Communion are done.

Worshipers are encouraged to repent and confess their sins, professing their devotion to God. The Stations of the Cross, which depict Christ's journey from condemnation to crucifixion, and passion plays are also common practices.

Good Friday in 2023 falls on Friday, April 7. It is a day of reflection, penance, and remembrance for Christians around the world as they prepare to celebrate Easter, the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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Popular Quotes Associated with Good Friday

Over the years, some top world leaders have penned down some memorable quotes about Good Friday. Here are some of them as curated by Goodreads and Christianity.com.

1. “Christmas and Easter can be subjects for poetry, but Good Friday, like Auschwitz, cannot. The reality is so horrible it is not surprising that people should have found it a stumbling block to faith.” - W.H. Auden
2. “Good Friday was when the Good was crucified but then on Easter the Good arose back.... So wait to realize that be it God or be it human the good never perishes it's rises above.” - Amit Abraham
3. “Easter is a time when God turned the inevitability of death into the invincibility of life.” - Craig D. Lounsbrough
4. "We may say that on the first Good Friday afternoon was completed that great act by which light conquered darkness and goodness conquered sin. That is the wonder of our Saviour's crucifixion." - Phillips Brooks
5. "The cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise godfearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

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FG announces public holidays for Easter celebration

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the federal government declared Friday, April 7 and Monday, April 10, as public holidays to mark Good Friday and Easter Monday in celebration.

The minister of interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola made the announcement in Abuja on Wednesday, March 5.

In his message for the holidays, he charged Christians to replicate the virtues that come with the celebration of Easter.

Source: Legit.ng