The Dean of St Andrew's Cathedral has weighed into a public exchange questioning the suitability of referring to Easter Friday as "good'.
Early last week a contributor to the Sydney Morning Herald's letters page openly wondered why the first day of the Easter weekend deserved such a plaudit.
"Does anyone know why Easter Friday is called “Good Friday” when it is undoubtedly the most sorrowful day during Easter?" wrote Kit Moodie of Bayview.
The Rev Phillip Jensen has written to the daily paper suggesting he would need more than a couple of lines to do the day justice.
"On the day our Saviour died so many good things happened," he writes.
"Love, joy, peace, hope flow from it. Satan was defeated. Our sins were paid for. God’s anger was appeased. Our debt to God’s law was cancelled. We were ransomed out of our slavery to sin. The hostile division between God and humanity was overcome."
Mr Jensen's continuing list must have left the publication in no doubt of his affections for the day.
"A new basis for uniting humanity was established," he adds.
"Religious rituals were replaced with the reality of relationship. We who were the alienated enemies of God became his friends. The new contract between God and humans was established based not on our achievements but on the forgiveness that Jesus won for us.
"The love of God for us was demonstrated. The justice of God met the mercy of God to pardon sinners while upholding righteousness."
Mr Jensen says he could have continued his tribute to this Friday's eponym but he was limited by the space available to him.
"Good Friday is the best Friday - in fact it's the best day of the year to celebrate God’s goodness and love," he says.
However the Herald chose a letter from Steve Moore of Leumah as the best response to Ms Moodie's question.
"My mother told me it’s called Good Friday because Jesus died for the good of mankind. I wonder if he’d have bothered if he’d only known. Even the Swans lost."
