The Friday Blessing represents the spiritually and emotionally resonant pause in the week that allows us to step back from the demands of the week, the pressures of the workday, and the tensions of the deadlines that typically pull and bind us and focus instead on thankfulness and the gifts of God’s renewals. Friday Blessings allow us to use the Friday respite from the workweek to work toward and carry forward spiritually and emotionally, rather than focus only on the sigh of relief and the weekend recreation.
A Foundation in Faith
The idea of Friday Blessings is based on many religious practices, particularly in Islam. Muslims around the world consider Jumu’ah, Friday, to be the most revered day of the week. It is a day dedicated to the community’s most important mosque. The Quran explicitly requires Muslims to attend this mosque on Friday. The Quran, 62:9, states, “O you who have believed, when [the adhan] is called for the prayer on the day of Jumu’ah [Friday], then proceed to the remembrance of Allah and leave trade. That is better for you, if you only knew”. Critical prayer times on this day are believed to be accepted by God, and many blessings are expected, including forgiveness and answered prayers. It is believed that on this day and in this moment, great mercy is in the world. Following this, Friday Blessings are no longer perceived as a vague wish but as an expectation that must be calculated.
Friday also has meaning in the Judeo-Christian system of belief. It is considered the day of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and while that is a sad occurrence, it also comes the day before the celebration of the resurrection on Sunday. Because of that, it brings to mind the hope, the sacrifice, and the truth that there is hope and blessings after the struggles. Therefore, Good Friday, while a day of mourning, is tied to the blessings of redemption that are most significant. Many Christians also consider this day to be a day of spiritual abstinence or penance, a turning of focus to the spiritual to receive divine grace. In a broad sense, the structure of the working week in the West, culminating in a Friday, has created a cultural phenomenon, the Blessings of Friday, the collective simple blessing of time for rest, family, and personal interests.
The Everyday Manifestations of Friday Blessings
What do the Blessings of Friday mean, in everyday practical terms, for some or for all? Those are the everyday gifts and offerings of this day.
First, the first of the Friday Blessings is the Blessings of Closure. Closure is the sense of psychological ending that marks all the tasks completed, challenges faced, and goals reached, and allows one to finish the week’s work and rest in a distributed mental state. It is the sense of psychological closure that Friday brings, allowing one to wrap up the week’s cognitive activities and relax in complete mental detachment. It bestows a sense of closure.
Second, there are Blessings of Anticipation—the energy of hope is generated by the positive and expected events that lie in the near future. The hope and joy of what is to come is almost guaranteed. The energy and excitement of the positive events in the near future are what make prides proud. The joy and positive energy that hope brings is a substantial emotional boost.
Third, there are the Blessings of Connection. It is in these final days of the week that social gatherings are often held. There is a positive break in the weeks-long routine of gatherings. It is of these activities that Blessings of Connection spring.
The fourth aspect, perhaps the most significant one, pertains to the blessing of gratitude. This specific Friday should serve as a period of reflection. Each week, as we look back, we should reflect on the achievements we gained, the survivals we had, the small joys we experienced, and the fact that we made it to the end of the week. We should take a moment on Friday evenings to appreciate and actually give thanks for things like our general well-being, the people we love, the jobs we have, and the beauty in nature we get to see. This is how we can fully appreciate the Friday Blessings. In our lives, gratitude helps to grow the number of blessings we have.
Cultivating the Friday Blessings
In what ways should we give special attention to these Friday Blessings? This all starts with some purpose.
Create a Ritual of Release: When your work week ends on Friday, please take a few moments to perform a simple end-of-work-weekend-of-work-week ritual. Organize your workspace, prepare a to-do list for Monday, and say to yourself, “This week’s work is done,” and be sure to say it out loud. This helps your mind prepare for relaxing Mode.
Share Your Blessings: To bless your heart, express gratitude, on paper or verbally, for three to five things that were in your favor in the week before. This exercise harmonizes your heart with the flow of blessings.
Share the Blessings: The shared blessing multiplies. One way to share the Friday Blessings is to send a kind, thoughtful text wishing a friend a peaceful and relaxing weekend. You might check in with a family friend or share a heartfelt compliment. Friday Blessings are acts of kindness that flow through you to the world.
Personal Worship / Reflection: EVERYONE of ANY faith is invited to the spiritual celebration of the Friday Blessings to make time for personal spiritual connectedness. Pray, meditate in silence, read a book with inspiring thoughts, or take a mindful walk in nature. Consider the peace of this day that is yours.
Joyful Planning: plan something for the weekend, even if it’s something small to look forward to, like enjoying a new coffee. Plan a walk in the park, or a movie that you have been wanting to see. Planning the event should be something to row.
The Threshold of Grace
Finally, Friday blessings are about looking up to notice the sacred in everything. They also highlight the separation of mundane activities. They are an invitation to pause at the busy intersection of the week. It is a day to take off the weight we have been carrying all week, not just from our shoulders; it is about taking it off our spirits, too. It is to trade the language of demands for words of gratitude. It is to trade stress for serenity, and not just for small things, but also to transform exhaustion into hope in the activities to come.
Let us not see another Friday go by with the sunset alone as a time of endings. A Friday is also a transition point between phases—a shift from working to resting and from labor to love. Throughout the day, and throughout the years, the Friday Blessings will be woven into the fabric of society. Different manifestations of the Friday Blessings will be present: the collective sigh of relief from the week; prayer calls, reunions, and moments of quiet contemplation. All will be present as we transition into the nub of the Friday Blessings. We sincerely acknowledge the day and the Friday Blessings. You will be aware of the uniqueness of the day and the Blessings along with the hope that your prayers will be answered. This hope also includes the expectation that you will carry the serenity of the day with you into your weekend. It’s the peace that embodies the Friday Blessings.
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