For some the contemplation of the Passion of Christ may occur only one day of the year…Good Friday.
In the beginning of my spiritual journey with Jesus I was afraid to meditate on the Passion of Our LORD. I was afraid to see God suffering. I think I was even afraid to see the price of my sins…but Jesus kept urging me to honor Him by meditating on His Passion.
So with some fear, I began to take a walk with Him to Calvary. I now do this every day at 3pm, the time He died for us.
This is my meditation:
Jesus has just celebrated His Last Supper with His friends. At this Sacred Meal, Jesus “took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:19 He has washed their feet and instructed them to serve and now Jesus and His chosen apostles enter the Mount of Olives singing a hymn. This will be the last time Jesus sings with His friends.
Jesus descends into the dark Garden of Gethsemane. He has asked His apostles not to sleep but they have fallen asleep and alone Jesus sees all that He has to suffer. In anguish, I hear His loud cries to the Eternal Father. Jesus is truly God and He is truly Man and His humanity cries out for solace while His divinity accepts His most painful mission. I see an angel come from heaven to comfort Jesus and Jesus drenched in perspiration and blood accepts His Father’s will. All the sins of humanity are on His innocent divine shoulders.
The soldiers come to arrest Jesus. Jesus asks them “Whom are you looking for.” The soldiers reply “Jesus of Nazareth” To this, Jesus replies “I am he.” John 18:7-8. And at the mere sound of His voice, the soldiers fall backward, collapsing to the ground!
The soldiers arrest Jesus and He is tied up and taken away like a common criminal. He is then interrogated by both the governor Pilate and the high priests. Pilate has him scourged but he is ready to release Jesus for he finds him to be innocent. Pilate gives the people the chance to choose to release Jesus or Barabbus (a convicted criminal), but the people cry out for Jesus to be crucified.
Jesus was scourged, mocked and ultimately crucified. The scourging alone could be enough to kill a man, but Jesus is so strong. Jesus is crowned with thorns and our sins are the thorns causing Jesus so much pain! We are all responsible for every drop of blood that He sheds and yet how many days and years go by without souls saying “I love You” to the Holy One who gave everything to spare His people from the price of Divine Justice.
I see the Holy Mother of God, stoic, watching quietly, suffering with her Son Jesus. Oh what shame and continuous insults! Jesus is pushed to the ground and forced to carry His own Cross up the Hill to Calvary. I see Him fall. I see His eyes so full of tears and pain yet full of resolve and hope…Jesus is saving the world! He is crushing the devil’s head as it was prophesied in Genesis 3:15. I hear Jesus cry out as He is crucified, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34
I see Jesus hanging on the Cross in agony, struggling to breathe. He thirsts. His body is tortured. Jesus is dying. Our Mother Mary stands in front of Him, strengthened and upheld by the grace of God. Her gaze full of tears and pain never leaves Him. People in the background are still taunting Him, hurling insults….But we love Him!…And with a sword in our heart, we never take our eyes off Him!
He gives us His Mother, honoring the Blessed Virgin in His last moments of life. “Behold your Mother.” John 19:26 The Virgin Mary’s communion with the Holy Spirit and with her Son Jesus is eternal and so too is ours if we choose, like Mary, to consent to God’s plan.
How do we bid farewell to the Holy One who is dying on the Cross? We don’t!…He promised He would not leave us orphans. He promised He would be with us in the Eucharist and that He would send His Holy Spirit upon us so that He could live in us. He promised He was going to prepare a place for us in Heaven and that He would be with us always until the end of time.
Our brave Saviour Jesus Christ deserves to be the center of our lives! His Passion, His suffering, His sacrifice must be remembered! Let us honour Jesus and the great suffering He endured to save us by stopping daily @ The Time Jesus died for us, 3pm, to remember and to pray for His infinite mercy to change our world.
Stopping every day at 3pm to contemplate The Passion of Christ has resulted in a relationship of intimacy with Jesus that I cannot describe in words. The Passion of Our LORD Jesus Christ changed my heart and it will change yours too. The Passion of Christ will change the world…one soul at a time…and as each soul enters truly and deeply into the suffering of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, we are transformed; we are renewed; we are sanctified. Temptation loses its grip on us. His wounds are upon our hearts and we become His beloved family forever!