Today the church celebrates the Lords passion. A day when Jesus Christ paid the supreme price; with his blood on the cross of Calvary. With his action he redeemed humanity and triumphed over sin and death. In the 1st reading from the fourth song of the servant of the Lord by the prophet Isaiah, he presents to us the difficulties the suffering servant will undergo that will give rise to the salvation of souls. The suffering servant of God had to go through persecutions and pains that finally ended in his death. A man that was acquainted with sorrows, not for his own personal sins, but for the sins of you and I and for the salvation of our souls.
In today’s 2nd reading from the letter to the Hebrews, the author paints a picture of the intense suffering that Jesus had to undergo for the good of humanity. This goes to show the depth of love that he had for you and I that made him accept to go to Calvary and die for our sake. He was God and understood what awaits him on the way to the cross, yet he was willing to go all the way because of his love for you and i. The passion narrative from St. John, points out the pain, sorrows and difficulties that Jesus had to undergo for him to win us salvation. The passion and death of Jesus is saying a lot to us as Christians and his followers.
The death of Jesus on the cross, gives a new meaning to the understanding of the cross. This is because it is in the cross of Christ we will meet him, find true peace and salvation. It should be a source of strength and hope for us all as his followers. This is because the cross does not end in pain, sorrows and difficulties. Just like that of Jesus, it will always end in the praise of God and for our own good. It is a source of strength, triumph and victory for all those who believe in God. As Christians, we can be a source of strength and hope in giving a helping hand to people who are carrying their own cross; just like Simon did for Jesus. Whenever we are able to do this, we attract the blessings of God to ourselves and our families.
Through the suffering and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, God has given us the power to triumph over sin and death. It is my prayer that the death of Jesus on the cross will not be in vain in our life, through Christ our Lord. Amen.