O Glorious Savior, I want to thank You for the blessings that flow to me from Your passion and sacrifice. Because of the curse, I faced eternal punishment in Hell. However, through Your suffering and death, You paid the price for my sins. In Your anguish, You faced physical pain, separation from Your Father and the burden of dying for sins You did not commit. As a lamb led to the slaughter, You laid down Your life willingly for my sake. Because of Your suffering, You can relate to mine … both mental and physical. As I experience anguish along life’s path, help me seek Your strength so that I too can persevere and make sacrificial gifts with my life. Your willingness to obey Your Father at all costs came from Your love and connection to the One who was able to prepare You for the challenges You would face. In my weakest hour, help me draw upon Your courage as I deepen my love and commitment to You.
By Your sacrifice, I am now able to approach Your Father through my faith in You. No longer will animal sacrifices be needed to atone for my sins. For in their place, the Perfect Lamb has made the ultimate sacrifice and earned eternal redemption for me. Through the Passover Meal, I have access to the “Sacrament of Holy Communion”. My receiving Your body showing my thanksgiving for the work You did for me and receiving of Your blood being emblematic of the cleansing of my soul. My participation in the Blessed Sacrament provides me with a means to connect with You in a deeper, more personal way. Your sacrifice goes a long way in teaching me about the courage I must muster in order to overcome my flesh. For in the same way You instructed Peter to watch and pray, so You instruct me to be attentive to the things going on around me … all the while, praying for the wisdom to handle them.
Help me gain a sharper focus and understanding of the meaning of the things that occurred surrounding Your death on the Cross. The sudden coming of darkness … illustrating the subtlety and power of evil and it’s antidote … Your light. The tearing of the curtain in the Temple … ending my separation from You and the beginning of a closer walk. The earthquakes … emphasizing the force of the anguish You and Your Father experienced through Your suffering to atone for my sins. And finally, Your rising from the dead … which broke the stranglehold that sin and death had on me. As a result, I rejoice in the fact that while I once was dead … now I am alive. No longer am I a slave to sin, my fleshly desires and the temptations of my enemy. My place is at the foot of the Cross where I find forgiveness and hope. And it’s in Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN!!
Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.