Christian community observes Good Friday

Christian community observes Good Friday

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Apr 3: The Christian community of Mangalore solemnly observed Good Friday by spending the entire day in prayer and penance in honor of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Also referred to as Holy Friday, the day commemorates the suffering and death of Jesus Christ and is observed just before Easter. 

Christians all over the world spend the day mourning the death of Lord Jesus Christ, fasting, and praying. Christians believe that, by dying in the cross, Jesus obtained forgiveness for all sinners. So the day also commemorates the love and greatness of God and his willingness to die for the sins of mankind. 

In Mangalore, Good Friday began with the Way of the Cross in all churches across the city. The congregation contemplated on the 14 images or stations that illustrate Christ’s journey to the cross. The churches were unlit; and the crucifix, draped in a dark cloth, was brought inside the church in a procession. 

The liturgy of Good Friday included the dramatized reading of the Passion of the Cross from the Gospel of John, followed by the veneration of the cross, after which the communion was distributed. 

Rev. Fr. Dr. Aloysius D’Souza, the bishop of Mangalore Diocese, led the congregation in prayerful worship at the Rosario Cathedral in Mangalore. After Good Friday, Christians make preparations for the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday.