"The People of Life, Born from the Cross" "When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, 'It is finished'; and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit" (In 19:30). Afterwards, the Roman soldier "pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water" (In 19:34). Everything has now reached its complete fulfillment. The "giving up" of the spirit describes Jesus' death, a death like that of every other human being, but it also seems to allude to the "gift of the Spirit", by which Jesus ransoms us from death and opens before us a new life. It is the very life of God which is now shared with man. It is the life which through the Sacraments of the Church - symbolized by the blood and water flowing from Christ's side - is continually given to God's children, making them the people of the New Covenant. From the Cross, the source of life, the "people of life" is born and increases" (The Gospel of Life, n.51). As the quote above indicates, the Church as the People of Life is born from the Cross. Jesus' passion and death are his self-giving, and the power of that self-giving is given to us, that we might give ourselves to one another in serving, protecting, and celebrating the gift of life. In particular, Jesus endured the rigors of the passion - described in today's liturgy in great detail - precisely because of how much he values human life. He did it for us. He did it because he wanted to raise human life to the heights of heaven. Through his Passion and resurrection, he does not only conquer his own death; he overturns the very kingdom of death. We cannot listen to or believe the Gospel of the Passion without marveling at how much God loves each human life, and without feeling impelled to respond when that same human life is trampled underfoot. He gave his life !or us; we are to give our lives for one another. Christ died once for all, but Calvary continues today as innocent people are killed in abortion clinics nationwide. As John Paul II wrote, "It is precisely in the "flesh" of every person that Christ continues to reveal himself and to enter into fellowship with us, so that rejection of human life, in whatever form that rejection takes, is really a rejection of Christ" (The Gospel of Life, n. 104). The Gospel of the Passion continues in our day ... Have a Blessed and Holy Week, Fr. Ken "El Pueblo de la Vida, nacida de la Cruz" Cuando tome Jesus el vinagre, dijo: "Todo esta cumplido". E inclinando la cabeza entrego el espiritu ». (In 19, 30). Y el soldado romano ({ Ie atraveso el costado con una lanza y al instante salio sangre y agua » (In 19, 34). Todo ha alcanzado ya su pleno cumplimiento. La ({ entrega del espiritu » presenta la muerte de Jesus semejante a la de cualquier otro ser humano, pero parece aludir tambiim al « don del Espiritu », con el que nos rescata de la muerte y nos abre a una vida nueva. EI hombre participa de la misma vida de Dios. Es la vida que, mediante los sacramentos de la Iglesia -de los que son simbolo la sangre y el agua man ados del costado de Cristo-, se comunica continuamente a los hijos de Dios, constituidos asi como pueblo de la nueva alianza. De la Cruz, fuente de vida, nace y se propaga el « pueblo de la vida ». (Ioannes Paulus PP.II, Evangelium vitae n.51) Como indica la cita mas arriba, la Iglesia como un pueblo de vida, nace desde la Cruz. Jesus en su poderosa abneqacion de si mismo, a traves de la Pasion y su muerte nos ensana a darnos a nosotros mismos en el servicio, protegiendo y celebrando el don de la vida. En particular, Jesus so porto los rigores de la pasion que en gran detalle se describe en la Iiturgia de hoy, precisamente a causa del valor que Ie tiene a la vida humana. Lo Hizo por nosotros. Lo hizo por elevar la vida humana a las alturas del cielo. No solo conquista su propia muerte a traves de Su paslon y resurrecclon, sino que tamblen anula el reino de la muerte. No podemos escuchar 0 creer en el Evangelio de la Pasion sin ser maravillado por 10 mucho que Dios ama a cada vida humana, y sin sentirse impulsado a responder cuando la vida humana misma es pisoteada. EI dio su vida por nosotros, estamos para dar nuestras vidas por los demas, Cristo murio una vez por todas, pero el calvario continua hoy en dia a traves de las personas inocentes que mueren en las clinicas de aborto a nivel nacional. Como escribio el Papa Juan Pablo II, "Precisamente en la « carne» de cada hombre, Cristo continua revelandose y entrando en cornunien con nosotros, de modo que el rechazo de la vida del hombre, en sus diversas formas, es real mente rechazo de Cristo." (Evangelium Vitae, #104) EI Evangelio de la Pasion continua en nuestro dia ... Que tengan una Bendita Semana Santa, Padre Ken
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Fr. Rafael
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