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The emphasis of both Isaiah and John is on Christ's willingness to die.
The first indication of this is His going to the garden where He knew
Judas would find Him. The manner of the arrest is wholly ironic. The soldiers came with lanterns and torches to search for "The Light of the World", and with swords and spears to subdue "The Prince of Peace". This insult proved how very much His mission was misunderstood, and how fully the Saviour was regarded and treated as a common criminal. Not wishing to hide or escape, Jesus presented Himself to His captors, declaring who He was with calm resolution and in full control of His emotions. Suddenly, His captors fall to the ground, possibly overwhelmed by the unexpectedness of Christ's behaviour and His majestic bearing. His yielding to His captors was, in reality, not a surrender, but a glorious victory over human frailty and the power of darkness. Jesus is seized. He who came into the world to bring true freedom was Himself bound - bound that we may be loosed from sin. The bogus trial where the Heavenly High Priest stood in the dock before the sinful earthly one must have cut deeply into the sensitive heart of Christ. Thank You Jesus, for dying to set me free. |
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P R A Y I N G W I T H T H E C H U R C H
| INTENTION : |
That consecrated people, answering the call of their
particular vocation, may radiate the spirit of the Gospel beatitudes in the
present-day world
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In the world of today there is a widespread search for joy, happiness,
serenity, liberty. That is why the consecrated religious is called on
to remind every person that the life of a human being comes from God.
Religious give outstanding and striking testimony that the world cannot
be transformed and offered to God without the spirit of the Beatitudes
which proposes a way of living and for people to relate to each other.
The consecrated life is for all the faithful a luminous sign of the
common vocation to holiness, a model on which to draw inspiration and
courage. Besides, the religious community based on motivations of faith,
on mutual love and on sharing presents itself as a call to the constant
reform of ecclesial communities. The commitment asked of consecrated people needs the support, awareness and prayer of the entire Christian community, so that human weakness may not prevail but may always allow itself to be led and transformed by God's action. In fact, the attitudes indicated by the Beatitudes not only point a sure way towards fulfilment and charity, but also lead directly to the Person of Christ who came so that men and women not only might have life but have it to the full. | |
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