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Gospel: John 19: 31-37
Since it was preparation day,
in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,
for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,
the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken
and they be taken down.
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first
and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,
they did not break his legs,
but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,
and immediately blood and water flowed out.
An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true;
he knows that he is speaking the truth,
so that you also may come to believe.
For this happened so that the Scripture passage might be fulfilled:
Not a bone of it will be broken.
And again another passage says:
They will look upon him whom they have pierced.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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The crucifixion of Jesus Christ creates a scene of both gore and glory. It encompasses two mysterious truths: the mystery of human suffering and the even greater mystery of divine love.
Crucifixion was the most brutal form of execution in the ancient world. Those who were crucified did not die because of blood loss caused by the nails driven into their flesh; they died by suffocation.
A man would hang upon the cross for as long he could push himself up with his legs, lifting his chest for a desperate draw of air. Once a person became too exhausted to push anymore, he’d suffocate under his own weight, arms spread open in surrender.
This is why the Roman soldiers broke the legs of the two men hanging next to Jesus; the Jewish feast of Passover was near and they needed to move on. Those criminals would’ve died within a matter of minutes.
The Lord, however, had already passed from this world. A soldier pierced his side to confirm, “it is finished.”
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Here we find the source of the Sacraments, the love of God literally poured out as blood and water.
From the earliest days of the Church – and certainly in John’s Gospel – Christians understood the water flowing from Christ’s side to be the font of baptism. The blood, the font of Eucharist.
“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him and I shall raise him on the last day,” the Lord promises.
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But the Lord’s death on Calvary was also seen in the context of marriage.
In the 4th century, Saint Augustine noted that the flow of blood and water recalls the union between a bride and her groom on their wedding night. Thus, the Cross becomes the fullest expression of Christ’s love for his bride, the Church.
There he gives himself away – arms spread open, embracing all of humanity, washing us clean.
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On this Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we recall that most sacred moment when the Lord, “loved us and gave himself for us.”
What else are we to do, but, “give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his love endures forever.”
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Image credits: (1) Michael Corsini, Catholic Artist (2) Christ Crucified, Diego Velazquez (3) Christian Pictures Blog