Good Friday: Fasting, Abstinence, and the Seven Last Words of Christ

Remember this old saying?

I asked Jesus, "how much do You love me?" He said, "this much." Then He stretched out His arms and died on the cross, for me...

And for us. That's how Jesus loves us. John 3:16 also tells us how God loves us: For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Whenever I remember that line that Jesus died for me. It kinda breaks my heart knowing that he died on the cross just to save me from my sins. I mean, a person dying just to save us. Sometimes I feel like I wasted Jesus when he died on the cross. With all my sins, I sure wish I could do something. Something good, just so that dying for me has some worth. I know I can't pay as much as He did for me. Believing in Him was one of things I could pay back. Most of the other things I had to pay it forward.

Today is Good Friday, also known as the Holy Friday or the Great Friday. Primarily it was said that during this day Jesus was crucified and died on the cross. Good Friday is part of the Holy Week, so Good Friday is fast day. We Christians in the Philippines also take this day as a silent day. Usually businesses close down and people stay at their homes waiting for Jesus' revival on the third day (Easter Sunday).

Good Friday is a day of fasting and abstinence. Fasting, for me, means eating about one full meals rather than three meals a day and taking small meals rather than full meals. These small meals should not add as a full meal. For example you will not eat breakfast and/or dinner. During breakfast and dinner you will eat bread and drink water rather than your usual meals. For Roman Catholics fasting is required for ages 18 to 59 but exemptions are those sickly people. Abstinence means you don't eat meat especially during Fridays of Lent. Fish is not meat, I guess. Also in abstinence you lessen your pleasures in life. For example if I surf the net 3 hours a day I should lessen it to an hour a day. Abstinence is for ages 14 and up for Roman Catholics.

It is today that we remember the Seven Last Words of Christ. They're not really the Seven Last Words, but are the Seven Last Sayings of Christ. These sayings appeared in Gospels of John, Luke, Mark and Matthew, but all of them do not have all those seven sayings. Meaning we combined all of these sayings and was able to have seven of them. These seven sayings by the way were said by Jesus on the cross.

1. Father forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34).
2. Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43).
3. Woman, behold your son: behold your mother (John 19:26-27).
4. My God, My God, why have you forsaken me, (Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34).
5. I thirst (John 19:28).
6. It is finished (John 19:30).
7. Father, into your hands I commit my spirit (Luke 23:46).

It was known that respectively, these were the words of forgiveness, salvation, relationship, abandonment, distress, triumph and reunion (FSRADTR). What I remembered from these are number two when a repentant thief told Jesus, "remember me when You enter into Your Kingdom," and Jesus said that line after. Number four was when people thought Jesus was talking to Elijah. Number three was when a follower of Jesus led Mary to the cross. The other sayings were familiar, but I couldn't remember when they were mentioned.

[Resource: Wikipedia]

Now for me, during the Holy Week I'll just be staying at the dorm. Most of my friends however managed to return home. Some even had airplane tickets to go home and boy, I sure wish I had some. But it doesn't matter anymore.

Our concessionaire is not giving meat as food today and yesterday. It was just fish and vegetables. I'm not used to eating veggies though. But I managed to eat.

Later I'll be going to the Church and listen to the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God!

Sorry Rebecca Black. Now's not your time to party.

I have been a Basement Boy. Read about that here.