What is in a Name?

Good Friday?

Not in my mind. It should be Bad, Bad, Bad Friday.

What in the world is so Good about this day?

What made the original church leaders call it Good?

Researching this, I turned to Wikipedia.

Good Friday also goes by the names of Holy Friday, Great Friday or Black Friday.

So, why did the Anglican Church/ECUSA settle on Good Friday?

And why do we continue today?

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, found online at www.newadvent.org, it says that:

Good Friday, called Feria VI in Parasceve (the name for Friday) in the Roman Missal, he hagia kai megale paraskeue (the Holy and Great Friday) in the Greek Liturgy, Holy Friday in Romance Languages, Charfreitag (Sorrowful Friday) in German, is the English designation of Friday in Holy Week, the Friday when we keep the anniversary of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

(If Jim were still alive, he would be smiling at my leaving in the Latin and Greek wording and would begin to debate their translation.)

For me I prefer Sorrowful Friday. At the noontime service today, there was nothing good, or great. It was sorrowful.

The readings from Isaiah and Hebrews. ( I read Isaiah).

The music?

Jesus suffering, sorrowful, lonely.

Mary and the women of Jerusalem suffering, weeping, sorrowful, mourning.

Disciples in hiding, mourning, sorrowful, scared.

During Holy Week we are supposed to imagine walking with Jesus. To be with him on this journey. If we truly accomplish this, then we have no idea what will follow on Saturday or Sunday.

This is not a good day.

Is it possible that it is the results of this day for remembering that are good?

I look forward to Semi-sorrowful Saturday.