GOOD FRIDAY

The first thing I always get asked by non practicing Catholics when Good Friday rolls around is: "Why is it called Good Friday?" Especially when everyone knows that it is the day that Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross and died... so to a lot, it would have mad more sense to call it, BAD FRIDAY....

well being the, "not such a good Catholic Boy that I am", I had to turn to the NET for the simplest explanations to give - and I think I got one - According to WikiAnswers (interesting):
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Good Friday is the day commemorating Jesus Christ's death on the cross, which is probably to be dated April 3, A.D. 33. In the liturgical calendar of the Western church, the Friday before Easter. The exact origins of the name are uncertain; some argue it stems from the use of "Good" as an adjective applied to the day, which is an Old English synonym for "holy." Others argue it is a corruption of the word "God", in the same way that "Good Bye" comes from the phrase "God be with ye".

Christians believe the day is "good" because the message of Easter is of Christ's victory over sin, death, and the devil; as the Apostle Paul wrote "Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us." It is believed that, in Jesus' death on the cross, He took once and for all the sins of all mankind upon Himself, in our place. "This gift He extends to everyone who will believe in Him. Believing in the Good News of the Gospel (Jesus, son of God, who died and was raised again) is our hope."

However, the term "Good Friday" is only used by Western Christians, and not by Eastern Orthodox Christians. The Orthodox refer to this sacred day as "Great and Holy Friday

GOOD FRIDAY to you all!