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Australians have embraced Good Friday traditions, marking the day with solemn church services, bumper fish markets, royal shows and weekend getaways. At St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne and Saint Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney, parishioners gathered for the Stations of the Cross, reflecting on the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ this Holy holiday. Meanwhile, Sydney Fish Markets saw families queuing to purchase their Good Friday seafood, with crowds posing up for photos as they shopped for the traditional meal. This is the first Easter at the new expanded waterfront location, potentially making it the busiest trading day in the market’s...

During Holy Week and particularly on Good Friday, tens of thousands of people make the pilgrimage to the northern New Mexico village of Chimayó. Some walk just a few miles from Española. Others come from as far away as Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

The Scriptures are quite clear about the nature of Judas betrayal: he was a thief and he did it for money. Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. (Joh 12:4-6 NKJ) It’s fairly banal and prosaic. People do bad stuff for money all the time. The...

As we enter the Sacred Triduum, Hollywood is celebrating Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments (1956), if not always the underlying message contained on those two ancient stone tablets Moses received at Mount Sinai c. 1446 BC. The American biblical epic, starring Charleton Heston as Moses and Yul Brynner as Pharaoh Ramses II, was a filmmaking masterpiece three years in the making. Narrated by DeMille himself, it tells the story of Moses as an infant, as related in Exodus 2:5, rescued by Pharoah’s daughter, played by Nina Foch, who, discovering the crying babe lying in a papyrus basket in the...

A call came to my home one night in late June 2003: “Do you want to see The Passion?” Of course, I did. Everybody in Christendom did... Looking back now, it’s hard to believe how the political fuss pretty much overwhelmed any discussion of the artistic merits of the movie. No one could have fathomed in that moment that Gibson would be the first victim of the cancel impulse, as his stunning and very personal movie about Jesus arguably destroyed his career, even as it made him the wealthiest man in Hollywood. Few faith-based filmmakers have any idea what makes...

“Donkeys were portrayed in Scripture as symbols of service, humility, suffering, and peace. Therefore, riding a donkey symbolized the arrival of peace.” Riding a horse would have symbolized war, but Jesus was declaring peace. By riding a colt, Jesus was essentially saying, “Yes, I am your king. The time you’ve been waiting for has arrived. But things aren’t going to happen as you expect.” The people welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday expected Him to bring peace to their circumstances through a military victory over the Romans. Jesus came to bring peace between humans and God. He also gives...

https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/1913390910697513009Apr 18, 2025

Actor Vince Vaughn joined President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Good Friday after attending a prayer service at the U.S. Capitol. Vaughn, renowned for his roles in comedy classics like Wedding Crashers, Old School, and Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, posed with Trump for a photo. The White House’s image, which is headed with “White House Crashers,” plays on the 2005 film Wedding Crashers, in which Vaughn and co-star Owen Wilson played a pair of Washington, DC, bachelors who crash weddings to pick up women.

ABSTRACT: Jesus of Nazareth underwent Jewish and Roman trials, was flogged, and was sentenced to death by crucifixion. The scourging produced deep stripelike lacerations and appreciable blood loss, and it probably set the stage for hypovolemic shock as evidenced by the fact that Jesus was too weakened to carry the crossbar (patibulum) to Golgotha. At the site of crucifixion his wrists were nailed to the patibulum, and after the patibulum was lifted onto the upright post, (stipes) his feet were nailed to the stipes. The major pathophysiologic effect of crucifixion was an interference with normal respirations. Accordingly, death resulted primarily...

On Friday's episode of "Greg Kelly Reports" Greg explained how America's values have declined, talked about former President Donald Trump's civil fraud case in New York, discussed media outlets lying on Donald Trump

ABSTRACT: Jesus of Nazareth underwent Jewish and Roman trials, was flogged, and was sentenced to death by crucifixion. The scourging produced deep stripelike lacerations and appreciable blood loss, and it probably set the stage for hypovolemic shock as evidenced by the fact that Jesus was too weakened to carry the crossbar (patibulum) to Golgotha. At the site of crucifixion his wrists were nailed to the patibulum, and after the patibulum was lifted onto the upright post, (stipes) his feet were nailed to the stipes. The major pathophysiologic effect of crucifixion was an interference with normal respirations. Accordingly, death resulted primarily...

“The Great Good Friday Eclipse” (Mark 15:1-47) It’s early afternoon on an early spring day, with lots of people in town, and the sky turns completely dark. No, I’m not talking about what will happen here on April 8, when Greenwood and the whole Indianapolis area will lie in the path of totality of a solar eclipse, and lots of people will be here to experience that rare event. No, I’m talking about what happened in Jerusalem back on the day when Jesus was crucified. On that day, lots of people were in town for the Passover festival. And on...

What Man is This? What man is this that hangs and dies, on Calvary’s cross is bleeding? Forsaken by a world of men, for their souls is pleading. This, this is Christ the Lamb, the sinless One, the Son of Man Weep, weep for your sins, for you He gives His life. Why does He go to Calvary, when He caused the lost and blind to see? Oh, wretch for thee He takes your stead that you through Him may live! Nails, thorns shall pierce Him through, the cross He bears, for me for you. It is finished is His...

My dear friend, this Good Friday and Passion Week are you a hider? Are you one who hides from Almighty God in the cloak of demonic darkness (Gen. 3:6-11; John 3:19-21; Eph. 2:1-3)? Are you hiding in your traditions, family, culture, political party, skin color, "good" works, vices, social justice crusades, career, global movements, conservatism, liberalism, marxism, religiousness, abortion rights, pro-life passions, greeds, creeds, violence, gangs, humanitarian institutions, genders, sports, movies, etc., etc.? Dear friend, if so,, what are you hiding in that will keep you from coming to the ETERNAL Light of Almighty God your ETERNAL RIGHTEOUS Creator, who...

BELFAST — President Joe Biden arrives in Northern Ireland on Tuesday to salute the 25th anniversary of its U.S.-brokered peace accord. But it will be a hollow celebration. Power-sharing between British unionists and Irish nationalists, the central vision of the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, is failing. Northern Ireland has for nearly a year had no elected government at Stormont, the grand parliament building overlooking Belfast

Recently hospitalised Pope Francis will miss the traditional Good Friday Way of the Cross procession at the Colosseum, and instead will watch from his home at the Vatican due to unseasonably cold night-time temperatures in Rome, the Holy See said. "Due to the intense cold of these days, Pope Francis will follow the Way of the Cross this evening from (the) Santa Marta hotel, uniting in prayer with those who will gather with the Diocese of Rome at the Colosseum,'' the Vatican said in a brief statement. Francis went ahead with an early evening prayer service at St. Peter's Basilica...

ABSTRACT: Jesus of Nazareth underwent Jewish and Roman trials, was flogged, and was sentenced to death by crucifixion. The scourging produced deep stripelike lacerations and appreciable blood loss, and it probably set the stage for hypovolemic shock as evidenced by the fact that Jesus was too weakened to carry the crossbar (patibulum) to Golgotha. At the site of crucifixion his wrists were nailed to the patibulum, and after the patibulum was lifted onto the upright post, (stipes) his feet were nailed to the stipes. The major pathophysiologic effect of crucifixion was an interference with normal respirations. Accordingly, death resulted primarily...

To fulfill the Sign of Jonah, Jesus had to be in the grave for three days and three nights. This contradicts traditions which say that Jesus died on a Friday afternoon. There is a resolution to this problem.

“Why?” (Matthew 27:11-50) Why? That is the question of the day here on this Good Friday. We hear the question raised twice in our Gospel account. First, when the crowd is demanding that Jesus be crucified, Pontius Pilate asks, “Why, what evil has he done?” And then second, when Jesus is crucified, he himself asks, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” These “why” questions are understandable, since none of this makes any sense--until we know the real reason for the “Why?” This whole entire episode--the trials, the beatings, the crucifixion: Why? Why did this take place? Why...

President Joe Biden will travel to the United Kingdom and Ireland this month, marking the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday accord, the White House said on Wednesday. The US-brokered Good Friday Agreement helped end sectarian violence in Ireland. Biden will first travel to Belfast, Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK, from April 11-12 “to mark the tremendous progress since the signing of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement 25 years ago” and to underscore US readiness to support Northern Ireland’s economic potential, the White House said. Biden then will travel to the Republic of Ireland from April 12-14. Signed...