Friday, April 14, 2028
The solemn day commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ at Calvary.
Good Friday is the most solemn day of the Christian year, the day Jesus Christ was crucified and died for the sins of the world. The name 'Good' is paradoxical: a day marking torture and execution is called 'good' because Christians believe that on this day Christ accomplished the redemption of humanity. The cross — instrument of Roman shame and capital punishment — became the means by which God reconciled the world to himself. The death of Jesus is interpreted in Scripture as a substitutionary sacrifice (Isaiah 53), the offering of the true Passover lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7), the new covenant in his blood (Luke 22:20), and the decisive victory over sin, death, and the devil (Colossians 2:15). Historically, Good Friday has been observed since the earliest centuries of the church. The hour of Jesus' death — 'about the ninth hour' (3 PM, Matthew 27:46) — is still marked in many traditions with prayer or a solemn service. Good Friday is part of the Paschal Triduum: the three days from Maundy Thursday evening through Easter Sunday that form a single continuous liturgical movement from the Last Supper through the cross to the resurrection.
Good Friday observance is somber and stripped down. Common practices include: a 12 PM to 3 PM service marking the hours Christ hung on the cross, the veneration of the cross (Catholic and Anglican), the reading of the entire Passion narrative from one of the Gospels, the Seven Last Words of Christ (a service meditating on each of Jesus' seven sayings from the cross), Tenebrae (an evening service of gradually extinguished candles), fasting and abstinence (no meat in Catholic practice), no flowers or musical instruments in the sanctuary, and the altar stripped bare. No celebration of the Eucharist occurs on Good Friday in most Western traditions — only the reserved sacrament from Maundy Thursday is distributed.
The traditional Bible readings for Good Friday include:
The name 'Good Friday' is paradoxical but theological. For Christians, it is good because of what Christ's death accomplished: forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, and the defeat of death itself. The day is sorrowful (a man was tortured and killed) but ultimately good (he willingly died to save those who trust him). Some scholars suggest 'good' is an older usage meaning 'holy,' as in 'good book' for the Bible.
The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34) record that Jesus cried out 'about the ninth hour' — approximately 3 PM by Jewish reckoning, where the day began at 6 AM. He had been crucified at 'the third hour' (9 AM, Mark 15:25), meaning he hung on the cross for six hours. Darkness covered the land from the sixth hour to the ninth hour (noon to 3 PM, Matthew 27:45).
The traditional Good Friday readings are Isaiah 52:13-53:12 (the suffering servant), Psalm 22 (which Jesus quoted from the cross), Hebrews 4:14-16 and 5:7-9 (Christ our high priest), and the Passion narrative from John 18-19 (read on Good Friday every year in churches following the lectionary). Psalm 22 is especially central — Jesus's opening words from the cross.
Catholics abstain from meat on Good Friday as a form of fasting and penance. The Code of Canon Law (Canon 1251) requires abstinence from meat on all Fridays of Lent, and Good Friday is also a day of full fasting (one full meal and two small meals that together do not equal one meal). Fish, eggs, and dairy are permitted. Many Protestant traditions also observe Good Friday with simple meals or fasting.