Christ Suffered and Died, Part 2

(Plain Text Version)

Christ Suffered and Died for Us, Part 2

All four of the Gospels describe the sufferings, death, and burial of Christ in detail.  Jesus not only suffered, but He died.  Death was the punishment earned by Adam and Eve when they disobeyed God’s command.  Although Jesus was totally blameless, He submitted to this punishment. 

Christ Freely Accepts His Death

In the Garden of Gethsemane, we see the two natures of Christ.  In His Divine nature, He knew all things.  He knew that He was about to suffer greatly.  In His human nature, He shrank at the thought of such intense pains.  We hear both His humanity and His Divinity working together when He prays, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me.  Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22: 42).

The Death of Christ

Jesus freely chose to undergo the torture of the cross.  In addition, He kept choosing to continue the ordeal.  To be free, He could have merely thought about it, and it would have happened.  Because He loves us, He suffered to the end. 

When Jesus died on the Cross of Calvary, His human soul was taken from His human body.  For love of us, He gave up all that a man can give. 

We are called human beings because we have only one nature: our human nature.  This nature doesn’t go away after death.  For all eternity, we will be human beings.

Christ is a Divine Person, who took on a human nature.  At His death, Christ kept His human nature.  For all eternity, He will have His human nature, in addition to His Divine nature.

Christ Buried in the Grave

Just as all four Gospels described the suffering and death of Jesus Christ, they also describe His burial, and they will give the account of His resurrection.

Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus, boldly approached Pilate the Roman governor, to ask for the body of Jesus.  This request was not granted until Pilate received word that Jesus was truly dead.  Jesus’ body was taken down from the cross, wrapped in a burial shroud, and placed in a new tomb.  The tomb was closed by placing a large stone at the entrance. 

The chief priests knew that Jesus had predicted that He would rise from the dead.  The next day, a guard was posted to ensure that no one could steal the body and claim that Jesus had risen.     

Please Pray the Rosary for Ukraine

In the Rosary, we entrust our needs to Jesus through His Blessed Mother.  In 1917, Mary predicted that Russia would spread its errors all over the world, but in the end, it would be converted.  We have seen the collapse of the Soviet Empire, but conversion doesn’t come so easily.  In a mysterious way, our prayers help people to become receptive to God’s love.