Dear Friends of Christ,
The month of July is dedicated to the Precious Blood of Our Savior. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 602, we read concerning the Blood of Jesus, “Consequently, St. Peter can formulate the apostolic faith in the divine plan of salvation in this way: ‘You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers… with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was destined before the foundation of the world but was made manifest at the end of the times for your sake.’ Man’s sins, following on original sin, are punishable by death. By sending his own Son in the form of a slave, in the form of a fallen humanity, on account of sin, God ‘made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.’” In the movie, Passion of the Christ, it was criticized that the movie was too violent and that people were uncomfortable. I read that Mel Gibson actually toned the movie down in its violence. Crucifixion was beyond horror and it is right that we realize at what cost our salvation was wrought. Every drop of Jesus’ blood is salvific and we can never proclaim enough how grateful we are and how much we love Him! Let us look at the crucifix with love, with admiration and with awe realizing we are loved so much. How can we not tear up if we meditate deeply on the words of Saint Augustine, “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.“ The Lord does not simply love humanity, but He is wildly in love with each of us even in our weaknesses. As mankind continues to drift farther from Him all the time, Almighty God continues to create more of us. Perhaps many of us have experienced offering love without any reciprocation. We cannot imagine this magnified when it comes to God. It is so sad. Holy Spirit help us to change that we may cry out “I love You O Lord my strength!”
God bless you,
Father Szolack