ND
when the sabbath was passed, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the
mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet
spices, that they might come and anoint him.
And very early in the morning the first day of the
week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the
sun. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away
the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled
away: for it was very great.
And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man
sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment;
and they were affrighted.
And he saith unto them, "Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus
of Nazareth which was crucified: he is risen; he is not
here: behold the place where they laid him."
Mark 16:1-6 [KJV]
Yes, how we rejoice in Easter morning; for it was the day that changed humankind forever. Through Christ's ressurection we are alive eternally. Praise be to God.
But there was a price to be paid, an awesome price. A price that not one of us could afford, so God, in God's infinite mercy sacrificed Himself so that we may enjoy everlasting life.
Thank You, God, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. Thank you for loving us so greatly that you were willing to sacrifice your only begotten son, Jesus Christ, for our redemption.
But let us, sisters and brothers, recall to mind the fact that there cannot be a ressurection without death. And Jesus' death upon the cross was a death of extreme pain.
Humankind has never since known a mechanism of corporal punishment that even approximates that of crucifixion; but yet God, in God's infinite love, inflicted such torture upon himself, so that OUR sin-debt could be paid in full. For this, God, we thank you as a blessed and united nation of undeserving women and men. Praise be to your holy name forevermore.
And now, sisters and brothers, let us try to understand the agony to which God subjected himself for us.
The following link is a true portrayal of what God has done for us. It is not pretty. It is not in any way something that any of us would desire. What it is, however, is a medical description of the truth. The truth, the ultimate truth for which God paid-off in full our debt.
If you dare, please click here to understand a semblance of God's love.
Though there certainly was not any beauty in the agonizing death of our Savior, artists have, through the ages, fashioned beautiful pieces of art that somehow take the "sting" out of the event. Beautiful works they are--in fact during the Rennaisance, the crucifixion of our Lord was the most frequent study by the known world's greatest artists. To experience several, please click on the small picture below to see the full-size version. Two are symbolic, the third is an actual rendering of a fourteenth century artist.
Additional sacred Easter music will be added during the
months of March and April, culminating during Holy Week. So please
come back again.
In the meanwhile...
May Our Lord, Jesus Christ, continue to bless you abundantly.
