Not on Good Friday?

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CuriousInIL

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I am trying to assemble a list for previous non-believer for whom last Good Friday was an ordinary day. This list would, recognizing the solemn fasting/penitential nature of Good Friday, list things that ordinarily would be appropriate that are not on Good Friday. I am not looking for something that is just a personal pious practice. Rather, I am looking for something that one thinks is not appropriate for any (U.S.) Catholic to do on Good Friday. In other words, complete the following sentence.

Because of the solemn nature of the day, I think Catholics should not __________ on Good Friday.

The idea is to give a person that has a good grasp on the official fasting and abstinence rules an idea of what other things might be best undone on Good Friday in recognition of the nature of the day.
 
I will start this off with various answers that I have encountered in real life.

On Good Friday, Catholics should not:

Go to or watch a sporting event
Go to a movie
Watch TV
Go to work
Engage in marital relations
Work on taxes (under the idea that this is a “Jesus day” not a “Caesar day”)
Go to a restaurant
Play cards or other games.

So, what would you add to the list.
 
Is there anything left you can do? wow!

I would take the opposite approach. What are things Catholics should do on Good Friday?
  1. Go to Good Friday service.
  2. Spend some time in prayer.
  3. Offer up the hunger pains in thanksgiving for the sacrifice of the Lord.
  4. Pray the stations of the cross.
  5. Read the story of the passion from the Bible.
  6. Say the sorrowful mysteries of the Rosary.
That would be a good start.
 
Adding to what not to do…

Talk excessively. (silence would be preferred, especially between Noon and 3pm)
Miss the Good Friday service at their Church.
Conduct any business
 
Others I have encounterred:

Should not:

Listen to music/radio
Drink alcohol
Buy tickets for lottery drawn that day
Go to casino
Use the internet for pleasure
 
or in my case personally… get a ticket… Seriously! Two Good Fridays in a row! At the same intersection no less! Either I shouldn’t drive on Good Friday, or I should avoid that intersection…
 
CapIV said:
Question:

Should I skip school tomorrow?
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Are you planning on spending the day in church? Stations of the cross? If the answer is no… then the answer is no… as for me, I am picking up my son just before noon to go to stations so he will only be missing 2 hours of school…
 
I just posted in the Spirituality Forum. I would actually highly recommend watching Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” on Good Friday.

This movie is difficult to watch… but it gives us at least a “sense” of what Our dear Lord did for us, on this day. God bless.
 
CuriousInIL said:
On Good Friday, Catholics should not:
Go to work
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We shouldn’t go to work?

So let’s presume that everyone who works for the sheriff’s department (as do I) is Catholic and takes off because it is Good Friday.

Now let’s say there is an accident and people are injured and dying? Would not charity stipulate if not DEMAND that I go to work so that I can render aid to those souls? I might be the first one on scene and stabilize a serious injury.

I just don’t get the not going to work argument. We are going to get 10-12 inches of snow tomorrow and I’m sure there will be accidents. I just can’t ignore going to work when I might very well be needed to assist with a hurting soul. Not that it happens every day, but you never know.

Oh, BlestOne…if I see you tomorrow just tell me your screen name and you’ll be good:rolleyes:

Andy
 
I guess this is similar to working on the Sabbath/on Sundays? There are some things that just HAVE to be done…

Kathrin

p.s. I am not sure if anywhere in the catechism it says anything about not working on Good Friday?

Where I am (Switzerland) it IS a holiday though.
 
MarieVeronica said:
I just posted in the Spirituality Forum. I would actually highly recommend watching Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” on Good Friday.

This movie is difficult to watch… but it gives us at least a “sense” of what Our dear Lord did for us, on this day. God bless.
Click to expand...
Certainly there are other worthy movies that one could watch as well.

This year our meagre selection of five free-to-air tv channels (don’t have cable) have given us two options this Good Friday afternoon. The first was the old ‘Miracle at Fatima’ movie. Highly surprising that commercial tv would schedule anything so blatantly … well, Catholic. I think I’ll email and congratulate them. The other was the marvellous ‘Lilies of the Field’ with Sidney Poitier. ‘Passion of the Christ’ is on much later this evening due to its rating for violent content.

As for reading a Gospel account of the Passion - since I went to Church on Palm Sunday AND Today I’ve already heard two very moving accounts (Matthew’s and John’s) read. More would be … well, not overkill exactly, but it can be possible to have too much of a good thing at times. AND I attended a wonderful outdoor live Stations of the Cross.
 
No offense but I think compiling a list of things one should not do on Good Friday is just going to lead to scrupulousity.

It’s a somber day where we remember what Jesus did for us. Let your conscience tell you what you should or shouldn’t do.

The Church doesn’t specify anything other than fasting/abstinence, and give a recommendation to go to Stations of the Cross.

I think explaining this to your friend might be a better than giving him a big list of personal observances.
 
ThatGuy said:
No offense but I think compiling a list of things one should not do on Good Friday is just going to lead to scrupulousity.

It’s a somber day where we remember what Jesus did for us. Let your conscience tell you what you should or shouldn’t do.

The Church doesn’t specify anything other than fasting/abstinence, and give a recommendation to go to Stations of the Cross.

I think explaining this to your friend might be a better than giving him a big list of personal observances.
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Thanks, agreed. Not to mention I’m in violation of more than 50% of the OP’s list. :o
 
ThatGuy said:
No offense but I think compiling a list of things one should not do on Good Friday is just going to lead to scrupulousity.

It’s a somber day where we remember what Jesus did for us. Let your conscience tell you what you should or shouldn’t do.

The Church doesn’t specify anything other than fasting/abstinence, and give a recommendation to go to Stations of the Cross.

I think explaining this to your friend might be a better than giving him a big list of personal observances.
Click to expand...
Ohmygosh, thank you! I was begining to feel like the worst Catholic. All we did was fast, read of Jesus’ last days from the Bible and say the rosary.

My kids did watch TV - they played outside in the snow and pretty much acted like kids all day. We wanted to go to stations but the baby was napping so we didn’t.

I like the OP’s list - but I’m soooooo not there (yet.) 🤷
 
Enoch said:
You should not partake in posting on the forums. Oops 😊
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Nothing wrong, IMHO, with deepening your faith by being here with other Catholics - whether to learn from them or teach them. After all, isn’t instructing the ignorant (which includes myself at times) one of the works of mercy? 😉 👍
 
Things not to do:

Go out for a beer after work
Practice your rock/folk/pop music with your band
Read a novel for entertainment
Hang out at the mall
Go to the circus/ball game/ concert
Crack jokes all day long

Things to do:

Your work in union with Christ - quietly, seriously - if you don’t have the day off
Go to Church
Keep silence as much as possible, esp. between noon and 3:00
Read the passion from the Bible or a good book

Betsy
 
Just to clarify, the lists that I posted are “mine” only in the sense that I posted them and I have encountered them. They were not intended by me or others to be some sort of comprehensive list of things that one should not do. Rather, intended more as something akin to a list of Christmas or Easter traditions—not something that all need to do every year but something from which one could choose.

Seen in that light, I think it will be very helpful and not an occasion to develop scrupulosity.
 
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