Another (Good) Friday...

Good Friday began to make an impression on me some 60 years ago when I began serving as a choir boy; this of course, was before I was promoted to altar boy, a few years later. While I can't say that I really believed in an almighty God, I was terrorized by all the damage he might do to me, so I kind of behaved as a believer under that understandable pressure.

This routine became part of my Easter school holidays until I became a teenager. What was most interesting to me though, was the story of Jesus being betrayed by one of his followers, then judged and crucified by Pontius Pilate. I liked that story a lot. To me, it was entertainment, a substitute for the theater or movies that I never got a chance to go to.

The resurrection, a few days later, didn't impress me as much. It was really hard to believe and frankly, I cared more about the legal proceedings and execution than the unlikely resurrection of Christ. I also liked all the liturgies, the hymns and other songs that flavored this yearly ritual.

Good Friday was by far my favorite celebration, much more so than Christmas or any other religious Holidays, as I will never forgot its tension-filled atmosphere when I stood front and center in that remarkable show...