My mother called me yesterday (Thursday... I'm writing this as if its not after midnight), to make holiday plans for the weekend. She told me she'd pick me up after the Good Friday church service. My reaction: Umm. No! I want to come! She made a joke about of course its my favourite holiday, because that's when Jesus died. While this was kind of funny, its also completely not true.
Good Friday has been my favourite holiday for years. While I enjoy the Easter season in general quite a lot (my grandma makes the best Easter meals, and Maundy Thursday has always felt super traditional and whatnot), but just about as long as I have hated Christmas, I have loved good Friday (even before the whole atheist thing).
When I was considering myself Christian, I think it was because it was a good opportunity to think of the sacrifice done by Jesus on that day and reflect on my responses to that. It was a good time to think about the strengths and weaknesses in my own life, and the places I need improvement on. This was never a self-depreciating way, but in a reflective, positive way. I gave self-reflection its space, moving on following the sombre day of introspection. I've appreciated the space, the day-off, the sombre day for this reflection for many years.
Good Friday has been my favourite holiday for years. While I enjoy the Easter season in general quite a lot (my grandma makes the best Easter meals, and Maundy Thursday has always felt super traditional and whatnot), but just about as long as I have hated Christmas, I have loved good Friday (even before the whole atheist thing).
When I was considering myself Christian, I think it was because it was a good opportunity to think of the sacrifice done by Jesus on that day and reflect on my responses to that. It was a good time to think about the strengths and weaknesses in my own life, and the places I need improvement on. This was never a self-depreciating way, but in a reflective, positive way. I gave self-reflection its space, moving on following the sombre day of introspection. I've appreciated the space, the day-off, the sombre day for this reflection for many years.
So, is it necessary to change this upon changing my religious views? Well I've gotten some shit together since my days of Christianity, I've got a long way to go. I still need my reflection time, and feel like I get less and less of that as I get higher and higher in education. While Good Friday is no longer about Jesus sacrifice and how it applies to my life, it is still about a pretty sweet story of a man who wanted to create change. It gives me the chance to reflect on the lessons I can learn from Jesus as a non-Christian, and also sets a sombre attitude for my own, somewhat unrelated, reflections about other areas of my life.
Spring is the time when I pack, and move, and clean, and break. Its classically a time of cleaning one's physical space, but what about someone's mental, emotional, spiritual space? Good Friday, for me, marks spring, reflection, and spring cleaning. Good Friday gives me a sense of spring cleaning for my soul, whether or not God comes into play for me. Screw New Years, but its Good Friday when I come up with goals, for the summer and the year, commit to change, and think about the possibilities to come. It is Good Friday that for me, provides much-needed change. I go home. I sleep. I get my marks and make goals for the next year. I think about the stupid ways I've related to people, and I learn from these things. I make promises like "more writing" or "less alcohol" and am more likely to stick to them then other times of year."
And this is the reason behind Good Friday being my favourite holiday.
Spring cleaning for the soul.
Spring is the time when I pack, and move, and clean, and break. Its classically a time of cleaning one's physical space, but what about someone's mental, emotional, spiritual space? Good Friday, for me, marks spring, reflection, and spring cleaning. Good Friday gives me a sense of spring cleaning for my soul, whether or not God comes into play for me. Screw New Years, but its Good Friday when I come up with goals, for the summer and the year, commit to change, and think about the possibilities to come. It is Good Friday that for me, provides much-needed change. I go home. I sleep. I get my marks and make goals for the next year. I think about the stupid ways I've related to people, and I learn from these things. I make promises like "more writing" or "less alcohol" and am more likely to stick to them then other times of year."
And this is the reason behind Good Friday being my favourite holiday.
Spring cleaning for the soul.
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