What Is Good Friday? We Asked a Catholic Priest
With spring comes Easter and its joyful celebration for Christians, but two days before its arrival, Christians observe another holy day: Good Friday. In 2023, Good Friday takes place on April 7. But what is Good Friday celebrated for?
We turned to a Catholic priest for the answer: “Good Friday is the day Christians commemorate the suffering and execution of Jesus by the Roman-occupying empire in Jerusalem,” says Bruce Morrill, PhD, a professor, Jesuit priest, and the Edward A. Malloy Chair of Catholic Studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School. “The day focuses on the passion and death of Jesus.”
Some observe this solemn day with fasting or abstaining from meat (see Good Friday meal ideas) and/or church services that reflect on the Good Friday story in the scriptures. On Sunday, observations turn celebratory as Christians recognize that, after three days in a tomb, Jesus rose from the dead on Easter.
But why is such a solemn day so "good" that the adjective made it into its name? When was it established? And what traditions are tied to it? With help from Morrill, we answer those questions and more about Good Friday.
When was Good Friday established?
The day has been commemorated for many centuries. “We have historical evidence from the 4th-century diary of a wealthy woman, Egeria, who made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem,” says Morrill. “She wrote of her travels and included how Christians kept Palm Sunday and other rituals.” Eventually, as Christianity spread, the day was observed by other early churches in places such as Antioch, Rome, and Constantinople.
Why is it called Good Friday?
It is likely because the word "good" once meant "holy," a theory supported by many linguists and even the Oxford English Dictionary. Some linguists and historians debate the theory that "Good Friday" might have evolved from a previous name, "God's Friday." However, many cannot find a link between the two words, as Slate explains.
How is Good Friday celebrated?
Different ways of honoring the day have evolved, and many Good Friday traditions and popular devotions still are practiced today.
In the Middle Ages, Francis of Assisi popularized a symbolic pilgrimage if you couldn’t make one to Jerusalem, known as Stations, or Way, of the Cross, says Morrill. The devotion includes crosses spaced at intervals (both indoors and out) alongside art such as paintings or sculptures depicting pivotal scenes from Jesus’s life. People stop to pray, meditate, and read or hear Biblical passages at each station. It’s most commonly prayed during Lent and especially on Good Friday.
Passion plays, which dramatize the final days of Jesus’s life, also started in the Middle Ages. One held in Oberammergau, Germany, has been performed every ten years all the way back to 1634.
Others are held annually in various places across the country such as Southington, Connecticut and Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Some faithful visit seven different churches on Good Friday, spending a moment of prayer at each. Others attend a service based on the seven last words (or direct quotes) of Jesus with readings of Bible passages, a sermon, prayers, and hymns.
Fasting and attending religious services are part of the commemoration for many on Good Friday. For example, for Roman Catholics, the religious service on Good Friday is the middle part of a three-day-long liturgy, or official rites, called the Triduum. “It’s the most sacred liturgy of the year,” says Morrill.
Anglican, Orthodox, and many Protestant faiths also hold special services on Good Friday to remember the suffering of Jesus in preparation for the celebration of the resurrection on Easter Sunday.
When is Good Friday 2024?
Just as Easter's date changes every year, so does the date Good Friday is celebrated. In 2024, Good Friday will be observed on Friday, March 29.
You Might Also Like
