Apr 17 Fri
Should I care for others?
St John relates how the soldiers on Calvary saw that Jesus was already dead; they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers opened his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.
He did not say that the soldier "wounded" or "struck" his side or some similar expression, but rather "opened". Thus, he makes us understand that there the door to life was opened, and from that door poured forth the sacraments of the Church, without which no one enters into true Life.
In the Mass we live again “the drama of Calvary, which I would dare to describe as the first, the original Mass, celebrated by Jesus Christ."
As He did on the Cross, Christ offers himself to God in the Holy Mass, being both Priest and Victim. One and the same is the Victim, and He who now offers himself through the ministry of the priests is the same who at that time offered himself on the Cross. Only the manner of offering himself is different. On the Cross, Jesus suffered death, with the real shedding of his blood; on the altar, because of the glorified state of his human nature, "death no longer has dominion over him", and so the shedding of Blood is impossible.
As we meditate on the fact that Jesus Christ is immolated for us every day in the Mass, we see very clearly the need to be well prepared to attend this Holy Sacrifice. We should ask for “a living faith in these moments, because we are drawing near to the mystery of Faith, to the Holy Eucharist; because we are about to participate in our Lord's Pasch, which sums up and brings about the mercies of God among men."
The best way to respond to Christ's sacrifice can be summarized in one phrase: “We must give our life for others. That is the only way to live the life of Jesus Christ and to become one and the same thing with him."
We will share in his life to the degree that we have “a big heart to love God and love others." We should never forget how much God had to suffer for us.
We will learn to love other people by imitating the self-giving of Christ, who loved me and gave himself up for me, “Feel in your souls this blessed fraternity, which comes down to really loving each other, because we are all children of God, washed and purified in his blood and called with an identical Christian vocation."
We must make life pleasanter for others, sacrificing our own legitimate preferences if there is even a chance others might find them slightly off-putting. “When I preach that we have to make ourselves into a soft carpet for the others to walk on, I am not simply being poetic: it has to be a reality! It's hard, as sanctity is hard: but it's also easy, because, I insist, sanctity is within everyone's reach."