In High School I studied the play Julius Caesar.  I had to act out a part of the play when Mark Antony finds his friend Julius Caesar murdered.

These are some of the words I had to memorize and I still know them by heart today…

“O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth,

That I am meek and gentle with these butchers!

Thou art the ruins of the noblest man

That ever lived in the tide of times.

Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood!

Over thy wounds now do I prophesy—

Which, like dumb mouths, do ope their ruby lips

To beg the voice and utterance of my tongue—

A curse shall light upon the limbs of men…”  Play Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare

About thirty-five years have passed since I acted out this scene of the play.  The noblest man that ever lived has indeed the initials JC, but I don’t think this man was Julius Caesar.  I believe the noblest man that ever lived in the tide of times is Jesus Christ.

Every day, I meditate on the Passion of Christ and I see my beloved Jesus butchered for our salvation.  As horrible as this sounds, we must accept the fact that we are the butchers responsible for Christ shedding His costly blood.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”  Romans 3: 23-24  “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”  1 John 1:8

Oh what a crime sin is against Our Holy Lord Jesus.  One has only to meditate on His Passion to understand how great was the price of our sins!  Jesus gives us such an infinite testimony of love and still world peace is elusive!  Greed, arrogance, impurity, hypocrisy and violence are commonplace.  But WOE to those that do not repent!

Mark Antony pledges in this speech to avenge the injustice of the violence committed against Julius Caesar.  We must pray to end the injustice of the violence that characterizes and defiles our world every day.  Mark Antony is ready to start a revolution.  We must commit to a “peaceful, quiet revolution” where the fragrance of our prayers rises up to God like burning incense.  Our repentance demonstrated through lives that give glory to God in each and every choice we make for the glory of God.

Do you ever wonder where we are in the fulfillment of the Biblical prophecies?  I believe we are living in the end times and that it is urgent that we repent and amend our lives.  I believe that as Christians we have a responsibility to help all souls receive the saving grace of Our Lord Jesus.  We MUST pray for one another.  We MUST strive to honour the commandments of Jesus.  We MUST forgive one another and we MUST strive to do the Will of God, fulfilling the plan He has for us.

Holy Lord, You are the noblest man that ever lived in the tide of times!  It is You Jesus Christ whose wounds I keep before my eyes as a constant reminder of the infinite mercy and unending love that You bear for us, Your people.  I stand at the foot of Your Holy Cross each day at 3pm, the time You died for us, and I grieve my sins sweet Saviour and ask for Your grace to live a life that is beyond reproach.  May every choice I make say “I love You Holy Lord!  I love You so very much and I am so sorry for having offended You!  Help us sweet Jesus.  Send forth Your Holy Spirit upon the whole world and save all souls! Amen”