It Looked as if the World Would End in Tragedy – But then Jesus Came

Of the seven expressions Christ spoke while dying on the Cross, his cry “Eli, Eli, lema, sabachthani” (Mk 27:46) which means “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” grip us to the bone. Love to the end is poured out by the Son of God, redeeming all of humanity from sin.

Fulfilling God’s divine plan with perfect obedience, Christ weeps the pain of feeling separated from God.

Our Savior hears the brokenness of Mary his Mother and the apostle John at the foot of the Cross.

All others have abandoned Him.

Despite the darkness, it is the hour when Christ gloriously accomplishes all that He promised.  The suffering Lamb of God unites with all of humanity, experiencing Himself the sorrow of rejection and abandonment with complete acceptance.  Receiving his Father’s momentary silence, he commends his Spirit and breathes his last (Mk 15:37).  Christ does not leave the world quietly.  The last gasps of air do not silence Him.  He shows his triumph over death in a loud cry offering his Spirit to the Father.

His words invite us to enter into the safety of his Sacred Heart.  Perhaps there are times in our own life when we have wondered if God has forgotten us.  There are moments when we cannot help but wonder if God is walking with us the way we hope.

Remember that it is when the world looked as if it would end in tragedy that Jesus Came.

In Christ alone we come to know God, and his eternal promise to always be with us.  With arms outstretched for the world to see, the Lord allows his humanity to take hold, fully experiencing the emotions of rejection, hatred and complete abandonment.

No one has experienced these sorrows more than Christ.  As He willingly endures the Passion, his love for us never wavers.  In the darkest moments on the Cross, Christ perfectly fulfills the Messianic prophecy of the Suffering Servant of the Lord (Isa 53:12). Incapable of death, Christ became man to suffer on our behalf, bringing redemption to us all.  As Christ is a perfect reflection of God, only Christ who is the Word could wipe the sins of the world away by his Blood.

Christ is our only hope for the coming of the Kingdom of God on earth.

By defeating death for all of humanity, Christ triumphantly establishes the coming of the Kingdom of God:  For dominion is the Lord’s, and he rules the nations (Ps 22:28-29).  As Christ commended his Spirit with his Father, He calls on the world to place all trust in Him – unconditionally.

May Christ’s grace place our life and spirit into God’s loving hands – forever.