Good Friday

 

The Passion of Christ

Good Friday is observed on the Friday before Easter Sunday. On this day Christians commemorate the crucifixion - the passion, or suffering - and death on the cross of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Icon: The Crucifixion

According to the Gospels (Matthew 27:45-54), Jesus agonized on the cross for six hours. During his last 3 hours on the cross, from noon to 3 p.m., darkness fell over the whole land. With a loud cry, Jesus gave up his spirit. There was an earthquake, tombs broke open, and the curtain in the Temple was torn from top to bottom. The centurion on guard at the site of crucifixion declared, "Truly this was God's Son."

My painting, You are the Light of My Life, shrouded for Good Friday

Some Christians may attend special church services or prayer vigils on this holy day. Good Friday is a day of mourning and quiet prayer for many Christians. The candles are often extinguished and statues, paintings and crosses may be draped in black, purple or gray cloth. Some Christians treat Good Friday as a day of fasting or partial fasting involving the exclusion of meat.

My own personally painted icons are draped in black for today.

Some homes keep a quiet atmosphere, with little or no outside activities and limited television, radio, and computer use, in observing Good Friday. Others choose to play music such as JS Bach's St. Matthew's Passion.

I have enjoyed my "fast" from television today. Instead, I've been listening to St. Matthew's Passion, which I got from iTunes especially for today. That means it's on my iPhone and my iPad so I listened with earphones most of the day. The music beautifully accompanies the worshipful mood of the day for me.

Cross with Sign Erected on the Shore at Crystal Beach, Texas

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Praying for a blessed Eastertide for you and yours

Much love,

Sallyt.

 

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