GOOD FRIDAY REFLECTIONS
For the past several years, I was unable to attend Good Friday services. Although I am usually in a good mood, I was almost in tears when thinking of attending the service. I even stopped near the parking lot of one of the numerous Roman Catholic churches in the metropolitan Detroit area. Why?
Christ died an ignominious death on the cross. It is said he died for our sins: That he was abused and crucified so we may be saved.
Don't we all bear our crosses in one form or another? Haven't most of us been abused? Is the world a place where love rules?
Perhaps Christ gave his life to atone for the neglect or abandonment of God, for it seems as if God has forsaken our world. Men don't frequently express kind words to one another. A person may say "hello", and many don't answer back. The dollar has replaced God in the lives of many. Many think of themselves "first, second and third." They want the riches this planet offers, but they do not want to give anything in return. Or many have been abused so harshly that they either retreat into a shell or strike out at whoever is available. All one has to do is drive anywhere to witness the discourtesy of one toward another. Walkers display T-shirts which express hostile language. And intimate (even nonsexual) love is alternately feared and desired by the same individual.
Parent education training, a solution for much of the preceding, is generally not taught in our schools. The schools should establish an atmosphere of caring. Parents and children should be taught the following: To raise a happy child, one with self esteem, one must give a child love, never a denial of love, strict discipline, no corporal punishment, and opportunities for growth and development and praise when they are accomplished.
Caring similar to that stated above could be expressed in workplaces. The worker needs fair treatment, and praise is usually welcomed.
Until the world becomes a more loving place, I will have difficulty going to church on Good Friday. Looking about myself sometimes brings pain to me, and I cannot tolerate the addition of more pain upon hearing about the injustice meted upon anyone who cares.
David C. Hakim
Sterling Heights, Michigan
Good Friday, April 14, 1995