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Good Friday

It is Good Friday again. I have many loved ones scattered around the country for whom this day is significant for their faith. The name refers to something very good indeed in the theological sense; still I find myself struggling with how to share that; "Have a Happy Good Friday" seems inappropriate given the event being celebrated is the agonizing death of someone, let alone of someone who is our savior.

And perhaps that is best. While I associate Easter with celebration---he is risen indeed---Holy Weekend has always been a time of introspection and quiet for me. It is far more significant to my faith than Christmas is and so I feel the holiday in anticipation for a long time leading up to it.

At heart is a sacrifice made on my behalf that with each day I am reminded was undeserved. I am keenly aware of my own failings. I am at a point where I don't let that realization cascade into depression and withdrawal but it is a fact that the standards I set for myself are not met. It is also a tenet of my faith that the creator of the universe knew a shameful, painful death to atone for my failings, and that ultimately it is that grace which justifies my place on this earth. My actions do not accomplish salvation; they are a grateful reaction to a salvation which predates my existence.

Much of my life is built on the illusion of my ability to control my fate, and I do bear responsibility for being prepared for the life I have been given. At heart though is something out of my hands and it is good to have some quiet time to dwell in that realization.

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