Palm Sunday and Good Friday are the two times during the liturgical year that the whole congregation is invited to participate in the proclamation of the Gospel. This is very fitting because the reading of the Passion of Christ should remind us of the consequence of the sin of humanity in general and our sin in particular.
Understanding Our Role in the Passion
One of the most important moments in the narrative is when we all together say, “crucify him”. It was easy for us together to say, “crucify him.” If time allowed, how would it be if each one of us were individually asked to say, “crucify him.” It might help us to understand our personal role in the Passion of Jesus. In reality, all of us have said, “crucify him” many times. Every time we sin, we say crucify him because sin is a choice and he died for every sin. When we read the Passion of Christ, we see the sin of many people, but what is most important is that we see the consequences of our personal sins.
The Crucifix: Symbol of Love and Redemption
The universal sign of our Catholic faith is the crucifix because it reveals both the love of God for us and the consequence of our sins. For this reason, every Catholic home should have a crucifix on display. The crucifix must be visible in a prominent location in every Catholic Church, which Christ founded to continue his saving work. In his Church, Christ has made available to us every means to overcome sin and grow in virtue. Though God is everywhere and loves everyone, it is through his Church and her sacraments that we are promised the greatest possible personal and intimate relationship with God.
Sacramental Grace: The Journey to Virtue
In baptism, we become children of God and the way is made open to us to receive the other sacraments that support our every need during life on earth. It is especially in the sacrament of reconciliation that we have a personal encounter with Jesus Christ who forgives our sins through his priest and grants us the grace to make progress in our spiritual life. In addition to eternal life, the greatest gift Jesus gives us is himself in the Holy Eucharist. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, during Mass, bread, and wine are changed into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. It is for this reason that we must be free of all mortal sin by a sacramental confession and believe that the Host we receive is the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus.
A Pilgrimage of Repentance and Communion
Every Mass is a pilgrimage toward Christ. During the Penitential Rite, together we ask forgiveness for the sins we have committed that were not serious enough for the sacrament of confession. At the end of the Liturgy of the Word, together we profess our faith in what we believe as a Church. During the Liturgy of the Eucharist, together we proclaim Hosanna in the highest and the Lord’s prayer. And then individually, as we come forward to receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist we proclaim, “Amen”, acknowledging that we are in communion with the Roman Catholic Church and believe all that she teaches, and we believe we are receiving the real presence of Jesus Christ and we have prepared our self spiritually.
At every Mass, through the power of the Holy Spirit, the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus are made present to us, and at every Mass our personal “Amen” when we receive our Lord is a reparation for the times we said, “crucify him.”
Deacon Tom Fox, K.C.H.S., and Mary Jane Fox, D.C.H.S. are the Co-Founders & Co-Directors of Pilgrim Center of Hope. The two left their careers after a profound conversion experience and began working full-time in ministry at their parish in 1986. After several years and having impacted tens of thousands of families, the Foxes founded Pilgrim Center of Hope in 1993 as a response to the Church’s call for a New Evangelization. Deacon Tom is an invested member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, a Commander Knight of the Holy Sepulchre.
Answering Christ’s call, Pilgrim Center of Hope guides people to encounter Him so as to live in hope, as pilgrims in daily life. See what’s happening & let us journey with you! Visit PilgrimCenterOfHope.org.
