Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Good Friday is celebrated by Christians throughout the world to commemorate the crucifixion, suffering, and death of Jesus Christ. “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10)
Good Friday is preceded by Holy Thursday which commemorates the Last Supper that is made famous by the painting of Leonardo da Vinci in Milan. Good Friday is celebrated with Easter Sunday. It is a solemn day marking the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made to atone for humanity’s sins on the Cross. Three days after Jesus rose from the dead, Christians celebrated his resurrection on Easter Sunday.
Good Friday recalls the death of Jesus on the Cross in Jerusalem about 2000 years ago. To “crucify” means to put someone to death by nailing or binding them to a cross. This is an ancient Roman punishment that was designed to inflict maximum torture, humiliation and terror, serving as a deterrent against sedition, rebellion, and crimes against the Roman empire then. We know from the Bible that Jesus was humiliated, disfigured and died at 3pm during (lunar) eclipse on the first Good Friday … (today 3 April) in AD33 according to Google calendar.
"At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice ... With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last." (Mark 15:33-37)
Good Friday is called “good” because, despite the tragedy of Jesus’ crucifixion and death, Christians believe it was the day he made the final sacrifice for humanity’s sins, offering salvation and reconciling humanity with God. It is viewed as a victory over sin and death, with “good” representing “holy” or the ultimate triumph of love over evil.
What is the significance of the death of Jesus?
Death is part and parcel of our human life experience. Death is one thing that we can be sure of – one day we will all die and return to the earth. A more important point is how has a person lived his or her life? Is it with love, care and kindness for others? Would I be willing to give up my life for others?
We read this in the Bible: “It is not easy even to die for a good person – though of course for someone really worthy, someone might be prepared to die.” And that is what Jesus did on Good Friday to show us God’s love for humanity and creation. He forgave his torturers, executioners and the sins of all humanity. “This is proof of God's own love for us, that Christ died for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:7-8)
Bible records the final words of Jesus when he was crucified on the Cross, praying to his heavenly Father: “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34). Good Friday is about forgiveness, sacrifice and redemption. It is a time of grace and mercy, reconciliation with God, with one another and the whole of creation and ecology. It was a reset button to heal relationships and the world. This is an invitation to forgive one another, restore relationship and seek peace especially in our world that is marred by ongoing wars and conflicts.
Praying with Pope Leo XIV for World Peace Today
Today on Good Friday, Catholics will join Pope Leo XIV who intends to carry the Cross in Colosseum Rome. He has appealed for us to pray for our world, wounded by conflict, violence and war. He called “especially Christians,” to “live these days recognizing that Christ is still crucified today, that Christ still suffers today in the innocent, especially those who are suffering from violence, hatred, and war.”
Following the stipulated Solemn Intercessions for Good Friday, 1.4 billion Catholics in Churches will get on our knees, come to the foot of the Cross and pray for world peace, Pope Leo and Church leaders, Christian unity, those in public office, catechumens preparing for baptism and for those in tribulations, suffering and dying.
I echo Pope Leo’s appeal and call to “all people of goodwill, to people of faith, to walk together, to walk with Christ who suffered for us, to give us salvation, and to seek to be bearers of peace ourselves.”
Fasting and Abstinence
Today on Good Friday, all Catholics are obliged to fast and abstain (from eating meat products). These practices are a spiritual discipline intended to foster reflection, repentance from sins, and unity with Christ’s sacrifice.
Since Jesus sacrificed his flesh for us on Good Friday, Catholics refrain from eating meat in his honour. Every Friday, Catholics are required to do penance, make sacrifice, perform an act of love, kindness and mercy, or abstain from meat. Penance expresses sorrow and contrition for our wrongdoings, indicates our intention to turn away from sin and turn back to God, and make reparation and do penance for our sins. Reparation helps to cancel the debt and pay the penalties incurred by our transgressions.
Crucifix
Thus, Christianity as a religion uses the cross as its symbol. Catholics in general prefer the crucifix – which is a cross with a corpus (with a figure of Christ on it). A crucifix emphasises Jesus’ sacrifice, his death by crucifixion, for the redemption of humanity. We are not to use the Crucifix as an ornament but to remind us to live our life by loving, forgiving and making sacrifices as Jesus did. Thus, we always make the sign of the Cross when praying, remembering our baptism in God’s name, recalling Christ’s crucifixion and blessing ourselves. Truly Catholic.
So when you see me using a Crucifix with my cassock, know that it is a reminder for me to live my life as a follower of Jesus to love, forgive, make sacrifices to serve you and society, and to make the world a better place for everyone.
Good Friday in Sarawak
We are thankful that Good Friday is a State Holiday in Sabah and Sarawak so that Christians can spend time to participate and pray in Church Services. On social media, Christians have also received well-wishes and especially from the Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of Sarawak and Sarawak Premier.
Our Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar expressed hope that the occasion would bring joy, peace, and comfort to those celebrating, while serving as a reminder of the importance of family, togetherness, and shared humanity. Tun also called on all communities to continue nurturing the spirit of unity and mutual respect, ensuring that the harmony enjoyed in Sarawak remains strong and enduring for future generations.
Greetings and Wishes for Good Friday and Easter Sunday
As the Catholic Archbishop and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia, on behalf of my brother Cardinal and Bishops of Malaysia, priests and all Catholics, I take this opportunity to extend Good Friday prayers and Easter blessing to all Malaysians and friends of goodwill. Let us join hands and build our land and Malaysia in mutual respect and acceptance, harmony and goodwill for the common good of all and especially for peace and reconciliation in the world today. Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with each one of us.
+Archbishop Dato Dr Simon Poh
Catholic Archbishop of Kuching
President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia
3rd April 2026
