Can you machine wash on Good Friday?

Sometimes spring cleaning or big laundry falls on a great Christian holiday. Not all housewives manage to reschedule their plans for another day, so the question often comes up: is it possible to wash in a washing machine on Good Friday? Will it be a sin if the technician does all the main work? Let's try to understand the nuances.

Is it sinful to do laundry on Good Friday?

According to Orthodox canons, a person is allowed to work any day. And there is one “but” here. On church holidays, a Christian is supposed to be in church to undergo certain services, so a believer has very little time left for household chores. The Church does not encourage people who, instead of praying and attending cathedrals, for example, on Good Friday, only bother about the house without thinking about the eternal.

You should not believe the superstitions that clothes washed on Good Friday will certainly become stained due to the shed blood of Jesus Christ. These beliefs are nothing more than harmful relics of paganism. Modern man does not need to take these myths into account. Things can only go bad if you don't follow the instructions for caring for them.

Good Friday is a day to commemorate the suffering of Jesus on the cross. Special services are held in the church, ending with the demonstrative removal of the shroud. On this great holiday, it is imperative to observe strict fasting. Believers who have stood in church almost all day and not eaten a single piece of food usually have no desire to do laundry.

Previously, literally 20-25 years ago, a person who started sorting out laundry in the morning would definitely miss the service. Such a choice for a Christian was considered wrong. Today, automatic machines are equipped with a cycle start timer, and they can also dry things immediately. Believers can easily load clothes into the drum, start the washer and dryer, and go to the temple. The equipment will do all the work itself.

It is allowed to do laundry on Good Friday, the main thing is to leave enough time for going to church, praying, thinking about God and the eternal.

Even if there is no automatic washing machine, and things need to be washed urgently, you can soak them in the morning, and after services and prayers, in the evening, bring them to mind. The Christian Church in no way calls on believers to disrespect their property, in particular their clothes. Therefore, Good Friday is not a reason to give up household chores, the main thing is that they take place in your free time from church.

Why is Good Friday a true day of mourning?

All Christians know the sad story of Jesus Christ. To understand why Friday is a day for mourning, it is necessary to remember the events of the Thursday preceding it. The one that believers call “pure”.

That Thursday the Lord's Supper was the last for the Savior and his disciples. None of the eleven apostles then had any idea that there was a traitor among them, and that tomorrow Jesus would be captured by the guards.

The only one who was aware of the upcoming events was Judas Iscariot. He betrayed his teacher and played his terrible game all the time. Having concluded an agreement with the enemies of Christ, he sold the Savior for 30 silver coins.

Scientists have expressed that those 30 coins, in terms of modern currency, are approximately 6,000 US dollars.Iscariot valued the life of Jesus Christ at this amount.

Of course, Jesus understood that torment was in store for him. After all, he descended to earth in order to die, and then to be resurrected. Christ had to make a sacrifice for the salvation of all mankind. However, he most likely could not imagine the details of the upcoming events.

Having completed the supper, the Lord went to the Garden of Gethsemane for solitude and moral preparation for the upcoming difficult test. At that time, Judas Iscariot had already joined his accomplices. The remaining 11 apostles were not far from Christ. That Thursday was very busy, so the students quickly fell asleep in the moonlight in the clean air.

The Savior had no time for sleep. The way he suffered and experienced is described in detail in the Bible. Christ looked at the sky and prayed to God. It is this situation that can be described by the expression “the passion of Christ.” This part of the teacher’s biography is the last days of his life on earth.

At that moment, Jesus was tormented by spiritual passions. He spent time in painful thoughts. He knew that he was facing a terrible and unjust death.

Trying to get moral support, the Savior went to the disciples. However, the apostles were already asleep. Therefore, Christ had to suffer from painful thoughts alone.

He could wake up the apostles. However, he did not do this. Because Jesus’ mission was to bear his cross alone, to the bitter end, without annoying his loved ones with his suffering.

Just a few hours from that evening, he would actually drag the wooden cross. And around him the crowd will rage, his enemies will rejoice and his friends will sympathize. So Christ will reach the place called Golgotha.

Christ was crucified on a wooden cross. At the moment of his death, the inexplicable happened.The sky darkened as if night had fallen in an instant. The stones supporting the cross were cracked. A curtain at a local church was torn in half.

All this scared the crowd. The jubilant enemies, who had only recently mocked Christ, hastened to hide in their homes. The soldiers experienced not only fear, but also sympathy for the martyr. At that moment, many believed that Jesus was truly the Son of God. After several hours, Joseph approached the cross. He carefully removed the body, embalmed it and placed it in a tomb.

The next morning, the enemies were even more frightened - they remembered the words of Christ, promising that he would resurrect in exactly 3 days. Therefore, they “walled up” the tomb with a heavy stone and placed a guard there. Soldiers guarded the burial site of Jesus around the clock.

But people did not yet understand that the guards were not able to disrupt God’s plans. After all, the holy mission of Christ will be completed only after his resurrection. Therefore, we only had to wait 3 days.

And indeed, on Sunday a miracle will happen, which is told about from generation to generation. This day today is called Easter. This is a great holiday, personifying hope, change for the better, the triumph of life over death.

Judas Iscariot was overtaken by death, without the slightest hope of resurrection. The traitor never had time to spend his thirty pieces of silver. After the death of the Lord, he was very frightened, realizing that he had done something terrible and irreparable.

Grabbing the bag of money, Judas ran to the conspirators to give them the coins. Only this could not bring back the life of an innocent man killed. Moreover, the enemies did not need these bloody coins.

Falling into despair, Iscariot threw the wallet with silver pieces right into the temple. The coins rolled across the floor.The sound of metal was unbearable; it warned of an upcoming tragedy. Judas ran out of the city and committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree.

Terrible tragic events took place on Good Friday, so on this great day Orthodox people direct their prayers and appeals to God, thinking about the eternal.

Therefore, the entire week before Easter is called passionate. These days are among the most significant and revered in Christianity. Good Friday is a great church holiday that requires a special, solemn and compassionate attitude from Orthodox Christians. And if washing fits into your routine, leaving time for visiting church and worship services, then you shouldn’t give it up.

   

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