26
From the Cross, Christ’s voice rings out
in two prayers of universal relationship.
He gives His beloved Mother to all
mankind; She is to cherish them, pray
for them, safeguard them and lead
them safely to Him. John’s filial arms
close about her, and he accepts Mary as
Mother of all humanity. Now comes
the great cry of anguish as He calls to
His Father: “My God, My God, why
hast Thou forsaken Me?” He knows
now the pain of loss which is the
greatest suffering of the souls in Hell.
The end of His Life draws near.
Christ, the Priest upon the Cross, will
offer to the Father His Body, which
has been broken for us and His Blood,
every drop of which has been shed for
us. He cries out for the last time:
“Father, into Thy Hands,
I commend My Spirit.”
God will accept the Sacrifice that Christ
has made and, because of Him, wipe
out all of our indebtedness, open
Heaven to us, and welcome His
rebellious children back. At the stroke
of the Centurion’s sword, His last drop
of Blood is shed and the supreme
Sacrifice is complete.
Our Savior’s Body
is taken down
from the Cross
and placed in the
arms of Mary, His
pure and devoted
Mother. About His
Body, gather the
holy men and
women who love
Him. This is the
same Body that grew in Nazareth
under Mary’s care, knew weariness and
labor in searching for us and sheltering
the lambs against the wolves. This is
the Body that He gave to the Apostles
at the Last Supper. This is the Body
that knew the scourge, was gouged
with a bloody crown and fell under
the Cross, that hung till agony ended
in death. This is the Body that rose
from the grave in glory on Easter
morning and ascended into Heaven
living and glorious. This is the Body
that remains with us in the Most
Blessed Sacrament for the life of the
world. Welcome His Body in love,
knowing that to it are united humanity
and divinity, and the precious Soul of
Our Savior. May we hold Him in our
hearts with some of the love that
Mary knew when, after His Body was
taken down from the Cross and was
placed in Her loving embrace!
Through His Passion, Our Savior
gained for us all the strength we need
to live well and die nobly. He won for
us the forgiveness of sins and the cure
of life’s temptations. He has made
intelligible our trials and suffering,
which are the crosses we now carry.
He has taught us the glory of death
when one dies in the Lord, and the
welcome given by the Father in Heaven
to those who die as Christ died - for
truth, in the state of grace, holding
fast to God’s Law and doing His Will.
Christ has made the sorrows and trials
of life meaningful, the temptations
of life passing and powerless, the