La Pietà di Michelangelo
After the Via Crucis here comes the night of silence, of tears, of pain.
But the Joy is near.
There has been a great participation at the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) this evening at the Coliseum in the presence of Pope John Paul II.
This is the meditation for the 14th Station, written by Fr. André Louf:
MEDITATION
The first light of the sabbath.
He who was the light of the world descends into the realm of darkness.
The body of Jesus is swallowed up by the earth,
and with it all hope is swallowed up.
But his descent into the abode of death
is not for death but for life.
It is to reduce to powerlessness him who held the power of death, that is the devil (Heb 2:14)
to destroy the last enemy of man, death itself (1 Cor 15:26),
to bring life and immortality to light ( 2 Tim 1:10),
to preach the good news to the spirits in prison (1 Pet 3:19).
Jesus lowers himself and reaches the first human couple,
Adam and Eve, bowed under the burden of their guilt.
Jesus stretches out his hand to them,
and their faces light up with the glory of the resurrection.
The first Adam and the last are similar and recognize one another;
the first finds his likeness
in him who was to come one day
to free him together with all his other children (Gen 1:26).
That day has finally come.
Now in Jesus, every death, from that moment on, can flow into life.
quote:
The way of the Cross is the road which leads to Paradise; it is the sure way to holiness.
The Passion of Christ is the greatest and most stupendous work of Divine Love.
-- St. Paul of the Cross
Thank you dear Inda!
HAPPY EASTER TO YOU TOO.
Love, Margherita
