Good Friday is the pinnacle of Holy Week, the most solemn part of the Triduum that leads to Easter Sunday. Catholics all over the world, including in the Philippines, observe it with reverence and devotion. It was on Good Friday that Jesus Christ give up His life to save humanity. The holy day is spent by meditation on the Passion of Christ, Stations of the Cross, the Santo Entierro procession, senakulo or passion play, Visita Iglesia, Seven Last Words, fasting and abstinence, Holy Hour, and church services.

In predominantly Catholic Philippines, flagellants roam the streets and the reenactment of Jesus life in some provinces, drawing both local and foreign tourists. Government offices, schools and establishments such as shopping malls are closed on Good Friday.

Good Friday rites in many parts of the country are a Mammoth procession in San Pablo, Laguna; Moriones Festival in Marinduque; Bala-an Bukid in Iloilo City; Huge 14th station in Iguig, Cagayan; Stations of the Cross at Lourdes Grotto in Novaliches, Quezon City; amulet hunting in Sipalay, Negros; 45 Five Statues in Paete, Laguna; Capilya in Zamboanga; Cenaculos in Taguig City; and Pagtaltal sa Jordan, Guimaras.

No masses are celebrated on Good Friday; statues, crosses, and paintings are covered in dark cloth. The only service is the somber ceremony of the cross, with liturgy consisting of three parts: Liturgy of the Word, Veneration of the Cross, and Holy Communion. After the ceremony, priest and people leave in silence, the altar bare except for the cross and two or four candlesticks.

In the 4th Century, the Church began observing the Friday before Easter as the day associated with Christs sacrifice.

In the 6th Century, the word Good Friday was adopted by the Roman Church. Two possible origins for Good Friday the first Gute Freitag (German for good or holy Friday) may have come from the Gallican Church in Gaul (modern-day France and Germany). The second may be a variation on Gods Friday, where good was used to replace God, a word viewed as too holy to be spoken aloud. A historical event occurred on Good Friday in 1998 when the Irish and British governments signed a peace treaty in Belfast ending the differences between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Since the peace treaty was signed on Good Friday on April 10, 1998, it was called the Good Friday Agreement.

On this observance of Good Friday, we pray for Gods mercy and blessings for the Filipino people and our Republic of the Philippines. May each one of us grow in spirituality and grace. MAY GOD BLESS US ALL!

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Editorial: Grow in spirituality and grace