Good Friday

Today is the day.  It is the day that Jesus Christ, God Himself, is condemned to death and crucified.  All for our sins.  It is because of us, because of you and me, that Christ dies on the cross.  It is the only possible way that we could be redeemed.  All throughout history, people have tried to offer things to God in reparation for their sins. But the problem is that because we are so distorted from our original state of grace because of sin, everything we offer to God will fall short.  It just does not suffice to heal the chasm that has developed between God and His beloved creation, the human race.  It is only through a perfect a sacrifice, the sacrifice of God Himself, that we can be redeemed.  It is through the death of Christ on the cross that we are brought back into union with the Father.  And we are called to join Christ upon the cross.  When Christ's heart was pierced by the soldier, two significant things happened.  The first is that blood and water flowed out.  Blood and water, symbols of the 2 great sacraments, Baptism and the Eucharist, are the cornerstones of the Church.  From the pierced side of Christ flows the Church, which He has formed in His image.  We must be purified by the saving waters of Baptism and nourished by the true Blood present in the Eucharist.  Christ's death brings us new life.  And it is only by dying with Christ that we can hope to receive the new life that only He can give.  The second significant thing is that because Christ's heart is pierced, it is now open for all to dwell in.  We must find our refuge in Christ, in His heart.  We must let His precious mercy abound in our hearts and trust in His saving power.  His heart is now a refuge for sinners, in need of His Divine Mercy.  He desires to use us as His instruments of His love, but we must first come to know His love ourselves if we have any desire to share that with others.  He invites us to dwell in His heart this day.  Dwell in His Sacred Heart.  Upon the cross, Christ said "I thirst."  Do not think that this was just a physical thirst.  Christ deeply desires us.  He thirsts for us.  And our love will satisfy that thirst.  He wants to meet us at the cross, so that He can open our hearts and draw us into His kingdom.  But it is only through accepting that invitation of Christ, of acknowledging His desire for us, that we can do that.  May we, one day, hear those same words Jesus said to the repentant thief "I promise you, this day, you shall be with me in Paradise."

O Sacred Head So Wounded