May Jesus Christ be praised and may his holy Mother pray for
us.
In the passion of Jesus Christ we encounter the horror of
sin, the price of our salvation, and the depths of the love of God.
The Lord Jesus is scourged, beaten and crowned with
thorns. He is tortured. The seamless garment is taken from him. His appearance is changed so much by his
wounds that it is difficult to recognize him.
This is the horror of the sufferings of Jesus Christ. This, my brothers and sisters, is the horror
of sin. We stain and remove our
baptismal garment. Our soul surrenders
to temptation and surrenders the appearance of divine life. What the soldiers
inflicted on the body of the Lord Jesus, sin inflicts on our souls.
Yet, by his wounds we are healed. In his suffering is our salvation. In him the penalty for sin is paid. Through the passion of Jesus Christ, we
receive the restoration of our relationship with God. In his pierced side the gates of paradise are
opened once again.
He loves us to the end.
There is no greater expression of love.
He dies for you and for me. He
invites us to die to ourselves so that we can be raised in him. Let us now join him at the cross. Amen.
Preached at Our Lady of Lourdes
Catholic Church, Monroe, NC
