Thank you very much for this great thought on preparation for those faithful who are so devoted and humble that they do suffer during this period, just before the most beautiful and incomparable joyous gift we can ever be given; that of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday of our Sweet Lord, Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ; who saves us also from the sting of death!
I’m a firm believer in facing reality or the music as the old adage goes! Too many people today are trying to live like the proverbial ostrich with its head stuck in the ground to avoid facing the Truth!
Here are a group of my thoughts and ideas that apply here as they do speak to several of the events and circumstances of Holy Week leading up to Jesus Christ’s crucifixion as I have explained in several writings of mine lately.
For years now I watch the Mel Gibson film “The Passion of The Christ” which even Saint John Paul the II said at the time of its release, “that is how it was,” and I know for a fact it’s true, because God chose Mel to make that film when he did! And every Easter I watch it alone which makes me cry or actually weep like a child throughout the entire film, I just got a woozy stomach and started to tear saying this here to you. “Peter denied Him a first time but did not shed a tear because the Lord’s gaze did not meet his.” I think for me and perhaps all humans that really care they spend their whole life practically doing what Saint Peter did, denying Jesus, even if we think we don’t because don’t forget Peter was right there living with Jesus and was His first or lead disciple; and he did!
Did crowds of people rush the captors of Jesus or riot and demand this “Good Shepherd Jesus” be set free or after his death in revulsion of what was done to Him; no, not even the Apostles sacrificed themselves to stop what had to happen, it was God’s will, because even if they wanted to stop this injustice it wasn’t their place to do so, nor could they have overpowered the legions of soldiers if they tried; so it was futile just like humanity’s ever being freed from death and oblivion; without the death of Jesus Christ! Although some time later some of the Apostles faced a test of their faith and devotion to Jesus as did many saints and martyrs over the ages; and they would not relent, so were tortured and put to death! The whole world and its corrupt ways produced His crucifixion and handed Him over to Pilate, whether as active participants or by default of all humans being fallen, and not being worthy to be in the presence and glory of Almighty God in His absolute perfection!
Romans 3: 10-12, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”
But when I watch that true to life depiction of Christ, I shudder and cry with my quilt, as I’m starting to do already again and just with the memory of the film while knowing and seeing my quilt! Oh my God! I’m sorry! Please forgive me for being so wrong and not appreciating every minute you have given me in this fallen world; to come to terms with my sin knowing I don’t deserve you, but yet you love me this much that you wait as long as it takes to call me home, and I follow your call to your heart of hearts! Thank you Jesus! I cry now again; because I see your endless love!
I see how Barabbas was significantly to be seen as a son of the crooked world system, or “ways of the world” while the “Holy One Jesus” was contrasting or clashing if you will with not only the false Son Barabbas but with the “ways of the world” and the whole world system. But more profound in all of this is not so much the semantics of a few words being totally and perfectly translated, but instead that here as Peter had done, when he denied Christ Jesus; the whole world system and the people of the world denied Him at that moment when Pilate washed his hands of Him as did the world with him; making us all equally guilty and carrying sin to our own graves, while He Jesus Christ had none, not even a curse word; because Jesus was not of this “crooked world” so the only Truth that can be drawn from this confrontation is that Jesus rejects the sinful world in this departure sentencing and the people that live by it instead of by the Father’s will; because even with the smallest of sins we are all contaminated by the ways of the world and doomed as creatures of it! And therefore the world or those people in it then and and now were doomed hands down, even if unconsciously wanting to wash their hands of “Him,” just as Pilate did; so thus they too sealed the deal of the fallen world and all in it being doomed outright; while Jesus the Lamb of God would be raised from it; pure as the driven snow!
Because Jesus was not part of this world; he then sets in stone the direct path to the Father by He being the only being (The Savior) that could create this bridge that will allow us to cross the impossible chasm from oblivion to everlasting life and peace, by His offering to any who will believe in Him; God’s planned gift of Salvation!
This had to be the only way it could be completed, rejection going both ways then the “Resurrection” would be in the offering until the end of the world to any who will turn to Jesus Christ as their personal Savior; as He would be absolutely and purely the only means of forgiveness of sin and the resurrection to eternal life with the Father, our Maker. Like cutting the cord, then the “testing” out of all souls began.
I have always felt that this can be readily seen in the Mel Gibson film “The Passion of The Christ” and the scene where Pilate washes his hands both literally and figuratively of the matter and basically throws Jesus to the lions in a manner of speaking and condemns himself with Barabbas and all humans; at that point dooming all of humanity! But, His death on the cross, would now give us all the gift of resurrection with Him; if we will accept it!
So I have no problem with anything here because I visualize the event quite clearly and see the intent and significance of all actions and behavior being exactly as they “were meant to be” to clearly illustrate why and what it would mean to all humanity moving forward!
Today I see my governments leaders or politicians not any different than those Pharisees, minions and Barabbas, as many are living in a totally narcissistic pagan way while some pretend to worship God through Jesus like a Pelosi, Biden and Harris among countless others, but they really don’t, and are the true hypocrites as they worship this world and power with great wealth; in other words Satan. It really hasn’t changed because as back then so many if not all would deny Jesus at one time or another during their lives; today the same thing is happening in spades with so many living lives of luxury and decadence, usually with ill-gotten moreover gluttonous gains; the crooked ways of the world, many Barabbas’
Turning for a moment our thoughts to the traitor Judas, who desecrated the sign of friendship making it an instrument of death. His kiss of death just like many Mafioso bosses would do when a hit was put out for one of their own!
This idea does strike me as a sharp reminder of the duality of us humans, who often times break promises and vows of all kinds and backstab or betray so easily! Or lie when it’s to our advantage, so we may think at the time even saying, a little white lie won’t hurt anyone! Heinous betrayal such as this act by Judas is most egregious but people do it every day! Of course they don’t sentence Jesus Christ to crucifixion, or do they? Could it be that Judas represented many of us; a piece of every one of us, because we all sold Jesus out being of this fallen nature and subject to the ways of the world and Satan’s influence; so aren’t we all responsible for His unimaginable suffering and pain unto a horrible languishing death?
We all owe everything to God Almighty, and we could never repay Sweet Jesus on that cross at Calvary for what He had to do, in order to follow the Father’s will; who offers each and every one of us the gift to be Redeemed, making us sanctified and pure so that we can be in the presence of our Heavenly Father!
Mark 12:30, Jesus tells us that our first responsibility is to Him, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” This same theme is reiterated many places in the Bible (Deuteronomy 6:5, 13:3, 30:6; Matthew 22:37; Luke 10:27).
Or are we looking deeper into the heart of our simple existence here on earth to see the “profound reality” that much, much more is going on than meets the eye! The Holy Scriptures say “Seek” and you will find, (7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-12)
It’s getting more obvious to me as I’m sure you as we grow older that we all come up short changed or even broke, if we depend on mere temporary earthly contentment’s or pleasures to fill us; virtually an impossible fool’s errand. But, with a caveat I say we should always try to make the best of what we have and be eternally grateful just for that, indeed our next breath is a miraculous gift; and then seek Him the Divine and Everlasting to satisfy our every dream and need in His kingdom to come! I’m sure I’ll see you there as long as I keep trying my best, that’s all He expects of any of us! Amen.
This is such great hope and encouragement for any of us to remember that the gate into heaven is narrow and the road to hell is wide; but, our heavenly Father who knows all things is “full of mercy and love for us,” so “there is always hope” even for the lowly criminal or worst sinner if he can see the error of his ways and repent turning his heart over to our Father in heaven in the holy name of Jesus Christ! Our Lord Jesus Christ knows us, and “when we stand before Him there will be no fooling Him, but there will also be no denying of His own.” That is a promise He made to us! We should pray we are so worthy when we see Him!
God doesn’t expect us to be rocket scientists but he only expects us to see the “Plain Truth” before our eyes and what is in our hearts; so that even “the simplest of minds can understand” what He is saying to us! I truly hope this helps you and anyone that wants to “open their heart to Christ more fully and love, worship and adore Him with all their strength.” I say cry for him, not only because of all the suffering He took for us, which does cause me to cry when I think of the Passion film or absolutely when I watch it tomorrow; but even more for the “Amazing Grace” and “Beauty” of His “Heart of Hearts” to love us the way He does! This is making me cry now to say all this; it is the Plain Truth when we see the gift and love in our hearts and minds this way; you can’t help but “cry for Him being so beautiful and kind, to we; who are so unworthy!” Amen.
God Bless you!
Brother in Christ,
Lawrence Morra III
Prayer Theme: Protection during the Warning and against the Antichrist
Zero Lift-Off 
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