Good Friday

Today we're going to learn about Good Friday, الجمعة العظيمة, one of the most important days in our Christian faith. Even though it's called 'Good' Friday, it was actually a very sad day when Jesus died on the cross for us. After Jesus was arrested on Thursday night, the Roman soldiers took Him to Pontius Pilate, the governor. The people shouted that they wanted Jesus to be crucified, even though He had done nothing wrong. Pilate washed his hands and let them take Jesus away. The soldiers made Jesus carry a heavy wooden cross through the streets of Jerusalem. Jesus was so tired and hurt that a man named Simon helped Him carry it. Can anyone tell me why Jesus had to go through all this suffering? When they reached a hill called Golgotha, the soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross between two thieves. Jesus looked down at His mother Mary and His beloved disciple John, and asked John to take care of Mary. Even while He was dying, Jesus was thinking about others! At noon, darkness covered the whole land for three hours. Jesus cried out, 'My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?' Then He said, 'It is finished,' and gave up His spirit. The earth shook, and the curtain in the temple tore in two. In our Maronite tradition, we venerate the cross on this holy day, remembering Jesus's great sacrifice. A Roman soldier named Joseph of Arimathea asked for Jesus's body and buried Him in a new tomb. What do you think - why do we call this terrible day 'Good' Friday? Even though Good Friday is sad, we call it 'good' because Jesus died to save us from our sins. His love for us was so great that He gave His life so we could live forever with God. This is the greatest act of love in all history.