Good Friday
“When he had received the vinegar, Jesus said, ‘It is finished’; and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” John 19:30
In the Christian calendar, today is called ‘Good Friday.’ This has always confused me, since the day that commemorates Jesus’ death doesn’t seem that good to me. So I did a tiny bit of research. Here’s what I found: The Anglo-Saxon term was Long Friday, because the service, usually the Stations of the Cross, was a long one. The Greek Church referred to it as Holy Friday or Great Friday. The German term is ‘Karfreitag’ or Care Friday; the term Kar also signifies mourning. Mourning Friday certainly makes more sense to me. And, finally, it is thought to be a mispronunciation by early Christians of ‘God’s Friday.’ Some Christians also make the point that this is the day Jesus died for us, and therefore it is ‘good’.
Looking a little further, one finds this to be the traditional day for planting crops among some Native American people, and early American farmers. My grandmother swore by it, and I think she had a lot of Chickasaw blood flowing through her veins. She always planted her garden on Good Friday, the timing of which has to do with the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. Mama could have put a rock in the ground and grown potatoes from it. Her garden was always supernaturally green and productive, and I know for a fact that she did not use Miracle Grow; only composted cow manure. That’s a little gardening tip for you green thumbs out there.
Whatever else it is, Good Friday is an appropriate day to spend some time thinking about how your holy life informs your whole life. Is your spirituality a Sunday kind of thing, or a not-at-all-kind of thing, or do you reverence every day as ‘good’? I hope it’s the latter. Life is certainly sweeter when we believe in something greater than ourselves, regardless of what that ‘greater’ is. Maybe you can ponder that while you’re planting your garden.
In the spirit,
Jane
No comments:
Post a Comment