Why Is Good Friday Good?

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Denise
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Why Is Good Friday Good?

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By Scott P. Richert

Why Is Good Friday Good?

If Good Friday is the day on which Jesus Christ was crucified, why is Good Friday called good?
Answer: Why is Good Friday "good"? That question puzzles not only children but many adults as well. After all, it isn't obvious that we should call Good Friday good, since it is the day on which our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. How can Good Friday be good when it commemorates the day on which the sins of mankind brought about the death of our Savior?

The Baltimore Catechism declares that Good Friday is called good because Christ, by His Death, "showed His great love for man, and purchased for him every blessing." Good, in this sense, means "holy," and indeed Good Friday is known as Holy and Great Friday among Eastern Christians, both Catholic and Orthodox. Good Friday is also known as Holy Friday in the Romance languages.

Thus the answer given by the Baltimore Catechism seems a good explanation, except for the fact that Good Friday is called good only in English. In its entry on Good Friday, the Catholic Encyclopedia notes that:

The origin of the term Good is not clear. Some say it is from "God's Friday" (Gottes Freitag); others maintain that it is from the German Gute Freitag, and not specially English. Sometimes, too, the day was called Long Friday by the Anglo-Saxons; so today in Denmark.

If Good Friday were called good because English adopted the German phrase, then we would expect Gute Freitag to be the common German name for Good Friday, but it is not. Instead, Germans refer to Good Friday as Karfreitag—that is, Sorrowful or Suffering Friday—in German.

So, in the end, the historical origins of why Good Friday is called Good Friday remain unclear, but the theological reason is very likely the one expressed by the Baltimore Catechism: Good Friday is good because the death of Christ, as terrible as it was, led to the Resurrection on Easter Sunday, which brought new life to those who believe.
Devotion to the souls in Purgatory contains in itself all the works of mercy, which supernaturalized by a spirit of faith, should merit us Heaven. de Sales
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KarlB
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Post by KarlB »

My etymological dictionary defines the origin of the word Good.. as Old English.. for God. :)
pax lux,
karl

Remember that thou hast made me of clay; and wilt thou turn me to dust again? Job10:9
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Johnna
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Post by Johnna »

When I was a kid, I didn't understand what was so good about the day. It seemed terribly sad to me and not so good what happened to Him. It wasn't until I got older and became Catholic that I began to understand that it is good and holy to remember the suffering He went through for us. Holy things are always good. Good doesn't necessarily mean pleasant.
Domine Non Sum Dignus!

Holiness is not for wimps and the cross is not negotiable, sweetheart, it's a requirement.
~ Mother Angelica
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