Our Correspondent
Kohima, April 18 (EMN): Among the Christian community, Good Friday is observed to mark the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. It is one of the most significant days for a Christian.
According to Fr Jaison CJ, from Bishop House in Dimapur, the celebration of Good Friday teaches two sides of the life of man. “The suffering of Jesus as human being, like anyone of us on earth, invites our sympathy for Jesus and the suffering humanity in the world. Every simple person will feel with the sorrows, Christ’s suffering on the way to Calvary.
“On the other side, it teaches us that every suffering is not an end in itself. The pain and torture we go through in the daily life are to strengthen us to face the greater sufferings which will come after it. The life of Christ and his disciples’ suffering manifests the victory of all the suffering humanity in Heaven,” he said.
The Father went on to say that Christians who have really understood the idea of life after death will rejoice “on this sad day” believing that Christ has died for all on this day. “May all the Christians realise that death is not the end of our life but it is the way to heaven. Let us celebrate this day as Good Friday because Christ has taken away our sufferings and death through his death…Let this Friday be a Good Friday and no more a Sad Friday in every one’s life,” he shared.
According to Pastor Kehuve Chüzho of the Khulazu Basa Baptist Church in Phek district, ‘Jesus Christ paid for our sins, not because of our goodness, but by his love and grace’.
“When there was no way out, God gave us the way. He gave humanity a hope to live and a chance to build a relationship with Him when He shed His blood on the cross. Therefore, we are saved by the grace of God,” said Chüzho, who has been in the ministry for more than 12 years.
“As Christians, one ought to remember the profound sufferings Christ had undergone, in time of the crucifixion. In fact, true believers even fast on this day to remind themselves of the pain that Christ had suffered for humanity. It is for this fact that Good Friday is rather observed as a sort of grieving day,” Chüzho pointed out.
For Tsenthungo Khuvung, a government employee, Good Friday is a “reminder of the compassion and sacrifice of Jesus Christ who died on the cross of Calvary to forgive our sins in order to free us from darkness/death.”
She shared that Good Friday is ‘extraordinary because it is a promise of eternal life.’
For Marius Menuoseo Khieya, “We observe the solemn day with humility remembering the passion of Christ with the hope of resurrection.”
