Reflections on The Passion – Victory and Salvation

In reflecting upon the Stations of the Cross over the past few weeks, I had several ideas, and I kept recurring back to a similar theme: the victory and salvation Jesus won for us all on the Holy Cross at His Crucifixion.

I was looking at my calendar the other night and saw that the feast day of The Exaltation of the Holy Cross was on September 14, and through the promptings of The Holy Spirit, this article came together. Jesus, through his Passion and Death on the cross, changed the world forever. Our Lord and Savior took all of our sins: past, present, and future to that cross on Calvary with Him.

In order to provide a full context to this concept, we have to go back to another point in the ministry of Our Lord Jesus Christ and that is to the beginning in the Baptism in the Jordan River. Jesus, when submerged into that water by John The Baptist, took on all the sins of humanity at that point. He showed to His Heavenly Father that He was ready to undertake the mission He was sent to accomplish.

The cross in which Jesus carried to the Golgotha to be executed upon for our salvation is the full manifestation of His pure and unconditional love for us, for you and for me, for all of us. That is truly a beautiful, remarkable, and powerful message of the Gospels!

The Nails

When I pray and reflect during the Stations of the Cross each day, sometimes new messages surface during that time of solitude. In each Station, there is a unique and compelling message. It is so unbelievably translatable to our own journeys on Earth, our own Way of the Cross. In the 11^th Station: Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross, that particular point of the reflection evinces some powerful imagery and emotions.

The nails being driven through the hands and feet of Our Saving Lord demonstrate that Jesus wanted to suffer every conceivable pain and suffering imaginable. Therefore, when we feel that pain from an illness, a disease, or a serious injury; Jesus understands and He is there for us because He suffered through the same pain and is there to comfort us.

The nails also represent the figurative nails that we all feel in the human condition. I reflect on this often during my walk through the Stations of the Cross when I arrive at this Station. The nails of family tragedy, a long term illness, or deep emotional pain that has been dealt to us. Those nails could leave us feeling bound or trapped in the situation with little hope.

Those nails could represent being trapped in a job that we dislike, could be an addiction, it could be a mental illness, or it could be a family member with a long-term illness who needs care. These nails will test our limits, our endurance, and our faith.

They could represent years of futility, joblessness, or a life which is so much different than we anticipated. I reflect and pray that I may be granted, in those times, a measure of the patience that Jesus displayed on the cross to transform that pain or those feelings so I can better endure it.

Take It To The Cross

This also represents yet another reason why The Exaltation of the Cross is so pivotal. We should rejoice and exalt that the Cross of Christ has delivered us all from sin, hardship, pain, and suffering through the power of Eternal Life. In those instances where you feel pain from an illness, take it to the Cross. If you feel hopeless due to a prognosis of terminal disease, take it to the Cross. If you feel lonely, confused, scared, or emotionally scarred; take it to the Cross.

Jesus knows all of these feelings, all of these pains, and all of these sorrows because He lived through them and He will forgive you and make you whole again. The only requirement is if you believe and trust in Him.

In fact, the wounds of Christ was another point of reflection for me in thinking of the Passion and the Crucifixion of Our Lord. When you pray and reflect on the Stations of the Cross it brings you to think about the wounds of Christ, which brings you to a place where you think about the wounds of others, and in the end you think less about your own wounds. That type of reflection is transformative and healing on a number of levels.

We live in turbulent and uncertain times, we live in a time where we are bombarded with information, and where most of us feel like we move from one disaster to another. In those times, the patience Jesus displayed on the Cross can be a very powerful example and source of solace for us amid the difficulties of our lives.

The Cross of Christ took a symbol of torture and hate and transformed it into a symbol of hope, freedom, and unconditional love. Jesus, the perfect spotless Lamb of God, nailed to the Cross so that we could be redeemed, so that we could be free of sin and death. That is the best victory any of us could ever imagine!

Victory In Resurrection

The Resurrected Jesus lives with us and in us, in you and in me. It is not just reserved for Easter Sunday. Every single day, Jesus is Resurrected in us and is in our lives daily. He walks with us and knows each of us, so why should we fear anything? The Resurrected Jesus is there and loves us so much He wants to be with us, that is overwhelmingly Good News!

Jesus dwells within us at the Eucharist, which was even more profound for me when I received the Blessed Sacrament on 9/11 this past Sunday. It has been fifteen years since those attacks and I have been given life that others never had. Jesus has a mission for you, for me, for us all. He endured the Passion, the Scourging, the Crown of Thorns, Carrying The Cross through the streets while people threw rocks and insulted him, Stripped of His Garments to be crucified naked, Jesus did all of this for us, and we are sinners. That is unconditional love and that is an example of how to live a life of humility, charity, and compassion.

Our challenge is to go and live it in a world that increasingly glorifies sin and degrades morality. Our challenge is to go out in the world and spread the love that Jesus has for us to everyone we meet. The most awesome part of that mission is that Jesus is here to help us all through each step of that journey.

So when you are feeling depressed at the state of your life, when you feel the bills piling up and the money in the account going down, if you are trapped in a job you have no desire to do, or you cannot find a job and the unemployment checks are running out: take it to the Cross. I tell you if you turn to Jesus Christ you will find all the answers that you need and will feel fulfilled by His amazing love. He knows “the nails” of the human condition, and He is The Way, The Truth, and The Life.

May Our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ be a beacon for us all amid turbulent times. May the Resurrected Jesus who lives and reigns forever dwell within you and remain with you and your families. May the victory and salvation of the Cross endure in your hearts forever. May God bless you.