This morning as I was contemplating my day, I realized it was Good Friday. I remember as a child thinking this day was horribly misnamed. After all, what was “good” about Jesus being nailed to a cross and suffering?
As I’ve been making my way thru the Old Testament with the Come Follow Me curriculum, I have been struck by a few “good” things. The Lord really, really wants us to be on the Covenant Path. Everything in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is set up to help you and I get on that path, and stay on that path. The Lord is waiting for us; cheering for us. He wants us to follow Him. His love for us is so very real.
Today we remember Christ overcoming our sin with his suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross. Sunday we will celebrate Christ overcoming death by His resurrection. When Moses was called to be a prophet he asked the Lord, who do I tell the people you are? The Lord answered back, “I am that I am.” The Lord is everything: leader, healer, bread of life, living water, He who overcame all, wonderful, counselor, our stone of help, the rock of our foundation the prince of peace, the Great High Priest Whose Name is Love, and His names are endless and eternal as are the works of His hands.
If I’m telling the truth, Easter is my favorite holiday of the whole year. There is no tree, or presents, no parties, no cards to send, and pretty much no stress — at least for me. All we have to worry about is celebrating the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the glorious resurrection, and the perfect plan of our Heavenly Father. The Bulgarians call it “Великден” (Velik Den), or The Great Day. I love that, because it really is the greatest of all days.
Today is Good Friday, the day when the Christian world remembers the death of Jesus Christ. I remember as a small child watching the news one Good Friday and seeing throngs of people pushing their way thru the 
As we approach Easter, I always become a bit more contemplative on Thursday before Easter. Most of the Christian world refers to this day as “Maundy Thursday“. We don’t in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But the term has deep meaning, all the same. Maundy comes from the Latin word “mandatum” which means “to command”. On this night of the Holy Week, the Savior and his disciples met for one last time, to share the Passover meal and for one last lesson from the Master.