The Passion of Christ is one of the most influential movies based on the life of Jesus.

>> The movie had a strong impact on many of its watchers.

 

The movie also had a major impact on many of the people who were involved in its making…
One such person was the powerful experience of the actress who played the role of Veronica in the movie.

 

She was an Italian actress in her early thirties.

>> Although brought up as a Catholic, she had long ago stopped practicing her faith.

>> The time of the filming was also a time of a spiritual low point in her life.

 

Her scene in the movie:

… as Jesus carries His cross, He falls to the ground.

… The crowds surge around him, abusing him as he lies on the ground.

… Moving through the middle of this confusion is Veronica….

              … she looks at Him with immense love and devotion.

              … kneeling before Him, saying, “Lord, permit me”, she takes a white cloth and wipes his badly bruised face.

 
This scene however, had to be shot many times, since the noisy crowd kept bumping into Veronica and disrupting this moment of affection and intimacy.

 

It seems that after many such shots of kneeling before the suffering Christ, looking into his eyes, and calling him Lord, the actress felt something had started to melt inside her.

 

It was her moment of “believing” once again in her Lord!

• This experience was lighting up the flame of faith in her darkened heart.

• This experience was blossoming the bud of hope in her dry and barren life.

 

This is what the Crucified Saviour can do in our lives…

>> This is what the Bleeding Messiah on the Cross can effect in our hearts..

… a conversion.

… a transformation.

… a change of heart.

… a trading of temperaments.

 
The Liturgy of the Day presents Jesus, approaching “His Hour” – the moments of the world’s redemption…

… by His embrace on the Cross, which would crush the evil powers and be a sign of salvation and hope for the world.

 
We have entered the most important week of the Liturgical Year – The Holy Week!

>>The days of the Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection are here

 The Liturgy of the Day presents before us two Gospel Passages:

1. The narration of the Entry of Jesus into the gates of the city of Jerusalem…

… and His welcome by the people, with palm branches and cries of “Hosanna!” (Mt 21: 1-11)
2. The narration of the Death of Jesus outside the gates of the city of Jerusalem…

… and His rejection by the people, with spears and nails and cries of “Crucify Him!” (Mt 26: 14- 27:66)

The Liturgy teaches us that Jesus made it very clear that His Way was to be different from the “popular ways” of the world!
Jesus very boldly proclaims this quote: 

“All that is popular, need not be right always;

All that is right, need not be popular always!”

Both the Gospel passages highlight this concept very clearly:

>> The donkey that bore Jesus and the palm branches that were waved…

… point that that Jesus was not to be a “popular” political master, but a “right” spiritual Messiah!
>> The Cross that bore Jesus and the nails that were pierced…

…. point that Jesus was not interested to be a “popular” worldly king, but the “right” King of Hearts!

As St Paul would say: “Jesus Christ, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God… but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant… humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2: 6-8)
The Lord emphatically declares the Christian thumb rule: The Way of the Cross alone, is the Way of Christianity…

>> No Cross… No Christianity!

>> Know Cross… Know Christianity!

Jesus had instructed during His ministry: “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain. But if it dies, it produces much fruit” (Jn 12: 24)

 

With this example from nature, the Lord pointed out that Sacrifice is the true way to salvation and redemption.
• There is no blessing, without making a sacrifice.

• There is no salvation, without shedding of blood.

• There is no redemption, without undergoing pain.

 
The Cross was to be the ultimate symbol that was to draw all people to Himself. (Jn 12:32)

>> And He invites all His followers to also “deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow Him” (Mt 16: 24).

 
As we hold the palm branches and sing “Hosannas” to our King, let us also become aware, that if we remain firm as the followers of Christ…

… we ought to take up our cross, even though people may shout “crucify him, crucify him!”

The Cross hangs as a symbol in many of the places that we go: 

>> In the Church… homes… many books and pictures.. 

>> Some of us even wear it around the neck…

 

• Does the Cross move us to seek the Lord in a more intimate and close manner?

• Does the Cross inspire us to walk our own ways to Calvary, with greater purpose and meaning?
 

As we enter the Holy Week, let us take time…

… to meditate deeper on the Holy Cross and the sufferings that He underwent for us.

… to look at His Holy Cross, for some time, everyday, in order to become more like Him.

… to hold His Holy Cross close to our hearts, that we may experience true transformation.

… to live His Holy Cross in our own life situations and bring healing and peace to our world.

 
• The Crucified Lord can effect a conversion in us to turn away from our sinful lives.

• The Crucified Lord can bring a change in us to become more holy and seek Him alone.

 

The Lord draws us to Him… to His Cross…

Come…

… let us look at Him

… meditate on Him

… love Him deeper!

 
Wish you a Blessed Palm and Passion Sunday…

… and a Blessed Holy Week!

 
Let us be intimate with the Passion of the Lord and experience His magnanimous love…

… so that we too may sincerely shout, on Easter Sunday, from the depths of our hearts: 

“Alleluia! He is risen!

He is my Lord and God!”

 

 

God Bless! Live Jesus!