Good Friday
Whenever I think of Good Friday a few things come to my mind. First and foremost I recall the steak and eggs breakfast that my brother Jim served up for the family. Think scrambled eggs with onions, tomatoes, cheese, and generous cubes of sirloin all chopped up, and portioned out with toast. Jim, Jeff, John and I were chowing down when Mom settled in her chair and accepted a plate. Three minutes in, she was pissed.
"It's Good Friday! We aren't supposed to be eating meat!"
Mom pushed her plate away. More for us. We finished it. If we were going to hell for it, we would be making the trip with full stomachs.
And Easter was all about the Catholic church. From Palm Sunday with the little one-act play about the betrayal of Jesus, through Holy Week, and the Stations of the Cross on Friday...we logged some serious church time.
Of course I was a dedicated altar boy for a lot of years (insert your favorite priest joke here) and it was a truly spiritual experience.
I can clearly recall moving from station to station, kneeling, standing, listening to the priest, kneeling and standing again, holding that cross high for the packed congregation to see.
No wonder my knee is shot!
But we spend less time in church these days...not just me...but all of us. There was a huge article about falling church attendance all across the land. The Catholic church has certainly had problems.
These are troubled times indeed.
Still, it is impossible for me to get through Good Friday without total recall of some of the old, religious traditions.
I am willing to hold on to some of the traditions. I try my best to communicate the greatest story ever told to my boys. We will certainly try to eat something other than meat today, although I consider that to be the least of all sins.
I must...because thirty years later, I can still taste the steak and eggs.
"It's Good Friday! We aren't supposed to be eating meat!"
Mom pushed her plate away. More for us. We finished it. If we were going to hell for it, we would be making the trip with full stomachs.
And Easter was all about the Catholic church. From Palm Sunday with the little one-act play about the betrayal of Jesus, through Holy Week, and the Stations of the Cross on Friday...we logged some serious church time.
Of course I was a dedicated altar boy for a lot of years (insert your favorite priest joke here) and it was a truly spiritual experience.
I can clearly recall moving from station to station, kneeling, standing, listening to the priest, kneeling and standing again, holding that cross high for the packed congregation to see.
No wonder my knee is shot!
But we spend less time in church these days...not just me...but all of us. There was a huge article about falling church attendance all across the land. The Catholic church has certainly had problems.
These are troubled times indeed.
Still, it is impossible for me to get through Good Friday without total recall of some of the old, religious traditions.
I am willing to hold on to some of the traditions. I try my best to communicate the greatest story ever told to my boys. We will certainly try to eat something other than meat today, although I consider that to be the least of all sins.
I must...because thirty years later, I can still taste the steak and eggs.
Comments
....and yes, it's nice that you pointed out...with a great memory that Good Friday is a day that is important to all of us.