Good Friday Reflections and Ideas

On Good Friday we see the suffering and death of Jesus which understandably brings us—or should bring us—great sorrow. And yet, as posted at catholic.com it says that because Jesus died for our sins on that day (1 Tim. 4:5-6), we see that it is indeed a “good” day; and, in some ways, “good” seems to fall a little short, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church indicates:

Death is transformed by Christ. Jesus, the Son of God, also himself suffered the death that is part of the human condition. Yet, despite his anguish as he faced death, he accepted it in an act of complete and free submission to his Father’s will. The obedience of Jesus has transformed the curse of death into a blessing (CCC 1009; see also 612-14).

Also, this day as explained at avemariapress.com, though outwardly dark and dismal actually commemorates Christ’s greatest gift to us: though innocent, he was willing to accept death so that we might be saved from the power of Satan and sin. Good Friday is good because it opens the possibility that we might live forever. Good Friday is the day that Christ died on the cross for the redemption of the world.

Indeed, we should all be thankful during Good Friday, as the Lord Jesus suffered on that day; we are given the opportunity to redeem ourselves from being sinful to being saved. May we give importance to Christ suffering not only during Holy Week but every day and put to heart that we should not continue to sin. And as we realized that we sinned, may we immediately repent, reflect on it and ask for God’s forgiveness though prayer and confession.

On another note here are some Good Friday Ideas for Families that I gathered from the website catholic.org

Since schools will be closed on Good Friday so the children will be able to participate in family observances of this solemn day. If possible, the entire family should attend Good-Friday services together, or at least make a trip to Church to make the Stations of the Cross. Following are a few other suggestions.

• The Three Hours. Some churches hold prayer services during the three hours of Christ’s suffering on the Cross. It would be appropriate to observe a period of silence at home, for devotional reading and private prayer (e.g., no radio, television, etc.), especially between the hours of noon and 3 o’clock in the afternoon.
• Each member of the family might choose a particularly unpleasant job which has been put off for a long time – like cleaning the garage or a closet, or scrubbing the bathrooms (I’m sure you can think of something!) – to emphasize the dreariness appropriate to the day.
• Good Friday was thought to be a good day for planting seeds (a reference to the Gospel about the seeds which must be planted in the ground to bear fruit as a metaphor for Christ’s necessary death and His burial on this day) so if the weather permits, this could be a worthwhile activity with children. (Don’t forget to explain the symbolism.)
• With very young children keeping silence during the Three Hours is virtually impossible. You might help them make a miniature Garden of Joseph of Arimathea in the yard. Mother or Father can teach children about the circumstances of Christ’s burial and resurrection from the tomb by telling the story of Joseph, Christ’s friend who donated the new tomb where Jesus’ body was buried after He was taken down from the Cross. Children can gather small stones, sticks, etc., for the little garden.
• Older children can be given a drawing or coloring project. Perhaps they could draw one or more of the Stations of the Cross.
• The season of Lent is a most appropriate time for children of all ages to learn more about one of the most distinctively Catholic prayers: the sign of the cross. It is a visible sign (a sacramental) of one’s belief in Christ and of one’s hope in the redemption which flows from His Cross. Accompanied by the invocation of the Trinity (Doxology), “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”, making a sign of the cross is a simple and beautiful form of Christian devotion. By making this sign both in public and in private we affirm our faith in Christ crucified and ask for His blessing and protection. It is also a gesture of reverence to the Blessed Sacrament.
• Parents find that even infants can learn to make the sign of the cross, and try to imitate family members at the blessing before meals even before they can talk. Try to encourage use of this sign at bedtime prayers, too, when you can explain what it means.
• Introduce children to New Testament symbols of Christ such as the Lamb, the door, the lamp, etc., Ask them to draw these symbols themselves and then color them. Display them on the refrigerator or in their rooms after they have finished.
  • THE LAMB
    John 1: 29: The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him, and he said: ‘Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’
  • THE DOOR
    John 10: 1-2, 7-9 : ‘Amen, amen, I say to you, he who enters not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up another way, is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. Those others who have come are thieves and robbers. I am the door. If anyone enter by me he shall find salvation, and shall go in and out, and shall find pastures.’
  • THE LAMP
    Isaiah 62: 1: ‘For Sion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest till her Just One come forth as brightness , and her Savior be lighted as a lamp.’
    John 8: 12 : ‘I am the light of the world.’
  • THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE
    John 19: 33-34 ‘When they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead they did not break his legs; but one of the soldiers opened his side with a lance, and immediately blood and water flowed out.’
  • THE TRUE VINE
    John 15: 1-3, 5: ‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that bears no fruit he cuts away; and every branch that bears fruit he trims clean, that it may bear more fruit. I am the vine, you are the branches; He that abides in me brings forth much fruit; for without me you can do nothing.
  • THE BREAD OF LIFE
    John 6:35, 48: Jesus said unto them, ‘I am the bread of life: he that comes to me shall never hunger. I am that bread of life.’

I hope you found the above ideas useful and may it help you to have a meaningful Good Friday.

Below is a Prayer Meditation for Good Friday that I’m sharing with you from www.mycatholic.life

My Most Glorious and Suffering Lord, it is Your Hour. It is the Hour by which You conquered sin and death. It is the Hour for which You came into this world, taking on flesh so as to offer Your precious life for the salvation of the world.

May I be with You, dear Lord, in these moments of suffering and death. May I, like Your Mother, John and Mary Magdalene, stand at the foot of the Cross, gazing upon the perfect Gift of Love.

My suffering Lord, may I see in Your Cross the most perfect act ever known in this world. May I see Love in its most pure form. May my eyes and soul look beyond the blood and pain and see Your Divine Heart, pouring forth Mercy upon me and upon the whole world.

Today I kneel in silent adoration of You, my God. I sit quietly, beholding the great mystery of our faith. I behold God, beaten, bruised, mocked, tortured and killed. But in this act, I see all grace and Mercy flowing from Your wounded Heart. Bathe the world in Your Mercy, dear Lord. Cover us with Your grace and draw us to new life through Your death. I love You, dear Lord. I love You with all my heart. Jesus, I trust in You.

“Good Friday is a day of sorrow mingled with joy. It is a time to grieve over the sin of man and to meditate and rejoice upon God`s love in giving His only Son for the redemption of sin.” – David Katski