While reflecting upon the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ one morning, I somehow felt the reality of His death during that time. The darkness of that moment. The wounded body that suffered so much torment. The pain and anguish of His mother while His body was being taken down from the cross.
It was not just an act. It was not a momentary disguise. It was real.
And it was a crime!
Had something similar happened to our loved ones today, we’d be right there with Mary, tasting the bitter reality of it all.
Someone who used to be so alive has now died. He isn’t moving anymore. There is no breath or any sign of life. Just the sign of a cold body without the warmth of its soul.
That is death. That is the consequence of evil upon this fallen world.
And to make matters worse, someone wanted it! It wasn’t just a natural death. It was murder.
And how does your body react to murder? Your stomach churns and you feel nauseous. Your body shakes in shock and you break out in a cold sweat.
Even your body feels threatened because it knows that something isn’t right. Something is very, very wrong.
When Jesus died on the cross, the people who wanted Him gone finally accomplished what they set out to do. They killed God Himself.
Of course, they may never have believed that He was God. And we now know the whole story that in the end, Jesus would rise again. Sometimes we forget the heinousness of this crime because we know all too well about the resurrection.
But the evil act remains the same. It is an act that began with the intention of getting rid of someone. Someone that challenged them. Someone who troubled their conscience.
And if we are not careful, we may also be guilty of the same crime.
Whenever we allow sin to rule our lives, we are saying no to God. And when we commit mortal sin, we kill the love of God in our hearts.
That is what hell is like. It is a place where those who wanted God out of their lives finally got what they wanted.
God will always be alive. And His mercy is always there for us, ready to accept us when we sincerely repent of our sins.
But God has also given us free will.
Although God is light and wisdom and beauty and everything that is good, we can still choose to want Him away from us. It is still possible to kill love in our lives for all eternity.
While there is still time, let us open our hearts to the most compassionate heart of Jesus Christ. He offered His life for our sake. He suffered even death so that we may live.
Let us also choose to live by choosing to receive Jesus Christ and His Divine Mercy. Let us choose love because only love will be our way towards heaven.
“It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’ Having said this, he breathed his last. When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, ‘Certainly this man was innocent.’ And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts.” - Luke 23 (NRSVCE)
Jocelyn is the author of Defending My Catholic Faith and Questions To God.
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