My brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus. We soon will begin the greatest
liturgy in Christendom, the celebration of the Pascal Mystery.
DEATH . . . RESURRECTION . . . ASCENSION . . . PENTECOST
A time which includes the greatest of miracles:
• “Take this, all of you, and eat it: this is My body which will be given
up for you.” [Novus Ordo Missae]
• “Take this, all of you, and drink from it: this is the cup of My blood,
the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for
you and for all so that sins may be forgiven. Do this in memory of
Me.” [Novus Ordo Missae]
He asks three of closest friends, Peter, James, and John to watch and pray
with Him: “My soul is sorrowful even to death . . . keep watch with me.” [Matt
26,38 NAB]
And they slept.
“Peter! So you could not keep watch with me for one hour? Pray that you
may not undergo the test.” [Matt 26,40-41 NAB]
And they slept . . . again.
Will we not keep watch with Him for one hour? Or will we be too busy . . .
too tired . . . or too something or other.
Imagine with me Jesus talking to His Father. Much in the same way you, a
loving son or daughter, speak to your father.
Dad, I think we gotta talk . . .
“. . . yet, not as I will, but as you will.” [Matt 26,39 NAB]
Jesus bound and dragged before the Sanhedrin, beaten by the temple
guards for refusing to answer Caiphus’ questions. Slapped in the face; spit
upon.
Battered . . . bruised . . . dehydrated . . . exhausted from a sleepless
night, Jesus is taken to Pontius Pilate, then to King Herod who sends Him
right back to Pilate.
Jesus scourged as no man has ever been scourged. His chest wall is
easily perforated. His back lay open as a shredded mass of crimson tissue
with strips of torn skin laying at peculiar angles . . . raw tendons and
muscle exposed to the air . . . indescribable suffering.
Ecce Homo – Behold The Man! Broken, bleeding, crowned with thorns.
Barabbas released.
Crucify! Crucify! Crucify!
The heavy crossbeam is placed upon His shoulders and He is shoved
toward Golgotha. He falls, falls again, and yet a third time. Simon of
Cyrene, a North African, is forced to take the crossbeam from Jesus so
Jesus will not die on His way to be executed.
Die on His way?
He already saw His body being stripped and thrown onto the crossbeam;
He already felt the cold spikes pierce His wrists;
He already felt Himself being dragged to the upright – lifted up – and
dropped into place.
Searing pain shooting through His arms and exploding in His brain.
The executioners quickly nailing His feet to the upright – His crime?
“The King of the Jews”
Hours of limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent
partial asphyxiation (He . . . cannot . . . breath!); searing pain where tissue
is torn from His lacerated back as He moves up and down against the
rough timber. The final agony – a terrible crushing pain deep in His chest
as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart.
A terrifying quiet descends upon Golgotha. No sound of any kind.
Jesus is looking into the distance – from then to now and beyond to the
end of time. He takes the sins of each human who lived, is living, and will
live upon Himself. And doing that which only God can do says to each and
every one of us: I Forgive You and Love You Ever So.
With one last surge of strength, He presses His torn feet against the nail,
straightens His legs, takes a deep breath, and utters His seventh and last
cry, "Father! Into thy hands I commit My spirit."
And the earth screamed as it never screamed before. A scream man is
never meant to forget!
We have glimpsed at that epitome of evil which man has exhibited toward
man and toward God. It is a terrible sight; more than enough to leave us
despondent and depressed. How grateful we can be that we have the
sequel in the infinite mercy of God toward man – the Miracle of Atonement
followed by the Triumphant of Resurrection. The Ascension of Jesus back
to the Father and the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, who shall
remain with us till the end of time.
Remember, my brothers and sisters, to get to Easter Sunday we must
travel through Good Friday.
Why did Jesus endure all the feelings of His passion, crucifixion,
and death?
Why?
Because He knew you would feel them too.
He knew you would be weary, disturbed, and angry. He knew you would be
sleepy, grief-stricken, and hungry. He knew you would face pain. If not the
pain of the body, then the pain of the soul ... pain too sharp for any drug.
He knew you would face thirst. If not a thirst for water, at least a thirst for
truth; and the truth we glean from the image of a thirsty Christ is — He
understands.
And because He understands, we can come to Him; we can trust Him.
Would not His lack of understanding keep us from Him?
Does not the lack of understanding others keep us from them?
Suppose you were discouraged at your financial state. You need some
guidance from a sympathetic friend. Would you go to the son of a
zillionaire? (Remember, you’re asking for guidance, not a handout.) Would
you approach someone who inherited a fortune? Probably not. Why? He
would not understand. He likely has never been where you are so He can
not relate to how you feel.
Jesus, however, has and can. He has been where you are and can relate
to how you feel. And if His life on earth does not convince you, His death
on the cross should. He understands what you are going through. Our
Lord does not patronize us or scoff at our needs. He responds
“generously to all without finding fault.”
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of
Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our
sins and those of the whole world; for the sake of His sorrowful
Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Jesus, I trust in You.
May the blessing of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
descend upon you and remain with you now and forever. Amen.
Copyright © 2004 – 2009 Donald E Koehler. All Rights Reserved.
| [Real Player] |