26 March: In the Christian-dominated state of Mizoram, Good Friday was observed with religious solemnity, informed Facebook friend and my old student Marema Chhakchhuak with a photograph. The festival commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary as a message of tolerance, mercy and forgiveness.
In the capital city of Aizawl, the Catholic Church members took out a procession and held mass to highlight the sufferings of Christ on the Cross. The followers visited churches to pray and worship. Various priests and preachers delivered sermons and organized Eucharist in churches. According to Christian belief, Jesus was crucified to save the world from sin and redeem it.
Here are some quotes that illustrate the true meaning of the festival.
“Exalt the Cross! God has hung the destiny of the race upon it. Other things we may do in the realm of ethics, and on the lines of philanthropic reforms; but our main duty converges into setting that one glorious beacon of salvation, Calvary’s Cross, before the gaze of every immortal soul.” – Theodore Ledyard Cuyler
“I believe in person to person. Every person is Christ for me, and since there is only one Jesus, that person is the one person in the world at that moment.” – Mother Teresa
“Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection, not in books alone but in every leaf in springtime.” – Martin Luther
“To holy people the very name of Jesus is a name to feed upon, a name to transport. His name can raise the dead and transfigure and beautify the living.” – John Henry Newman
“No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown.” – William Penn