Lenten Meditations – 16 April – With Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900) Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“The Sacred Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ”
“Short Meditations for Lent”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)
Wednesday in Holy Week
Jesus Dies on the Cross
Read St Luke xxiii:45-48
[45] And the sun was darkened and the veil of the temple was rent in the middle.
[46] And Jesus, crying with a loud Voice, said: Father, into Thy Hands I commend My Spirit. And saying this, He gave up the ghost. [47] Now the centurion, seeing what was done, glorified God, saying: Indeed this was a just man. [48] And all the multitude of them who were come together to that sight and saw the things which were done, returned, striking their breasts. [Luke 23:45-48]
+1. After Our Lord has hung in agony upon the Cross, for three hours, at last the time approach’s when His deliverance is at hand.
He has endured every possible form of suffering, bodily and mental. His Body has been subjected to a physical torture far worse than the accumulated sufferings of the Martyrs; His Sacred Soul has been rent asunder with an anguish and desolation more awful than any, save the eternal anguish of hell. He has sacrificed His honour, His reputation; He has been esteemed a fool and a madman. Now, there is only one sacrifice more He can make,for mankind, to His Eternal Father, – the sacrifice of His Life. He is determined to give up all for us, to be obedient, even tuno death.
+2. What was it, caused the Death of Our Lord?
Not the executioners, not the Jews, not the agony of the Cross – they were but instruments.
It was sin.
Sin contains a malice sufficient, even to rob God Our Lord and King, of Life!
What a strange mystery sin is! And how strange that we do not hate it more, when we see its power to destroy!
+3. Jesus’ Death was no transient occurrence.
He still mystically dies for us each day and each hour. When we receive Holy Communion, we exhibit the Death of the Lord until He Comes and, therefore, His Sacred Passion and Death, should be the chief subject of our thoughts whenever we approach the Holy Table and especially, on the eve of the solemn day when He instituted the Sacrament of His Love.
AnaStpaul 