CHRISTIANS ACROSS BARBADOS join with their counterparts across
the world today in observing Good Friday, the most solemn day in their religious calendar.
It is a time to reflect on how Jesus Christ died on the cross at Calvary to save us all from sin. It is a time of penitence as well as reflection for all mankind to reject evil for good.
Even as our society changes there must still be a place for those mores which we treasure in our country and the observance and appreciation of the significance of Good Friday must be one. We must retain and treasure this observance.
When we reflect on the sacrifice Jesus Christ made more than 2 000 years ago, we should see and understand the significance of His crucifixion. It was the victory of good over evil.
The need for sacrifice for our sins is acknowledged daily and is not something unique to Christians, but embodied by most of the world’s great religions.
Today, churches across this island will hold special services to commemorate this very important day. They will be mostly distinct from all other observances, thereby adding to the significance. The ceremony tends to be sombre, with priests and deacons dressing in black or purple vestments and many congregations in their mourning colours. The pulpit and the altar will be bare; no candles are lit – all to create an awareness of grief over what Jesus had to endure.
For some of us it may be an occasion about rituals and tradition with no foundation based in scientific fact.
Others may view it simply as a legacy of an “old system” tied to the habits of a colonial era which we have inherited. But, in truth, it is a reflection of who we are and our belief systems.
We must use today, and indeed every day, to reinforce in those belief systems the importance of forgiveness while being optimistic and thinking of the best in all situations.
Let us pray for those who inflict wrong on the country through their crimes, that they may get help to understand the problems they pose.
Let those who deal in illegal drugs, carry illegal weapons and, indeed, all who commit crimes acknowledge their wrongdoing.
Let us join today asking for God’s mercy and forgiveness on all mankind that we may seek to be honest and sincere in all our actions. The message from the sacrifice made so many years ago and still relevant today is that good must always win over evil.
