The passion and death of Jesus Christ

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The passion and death of Jesus Christ
RUBENS, Pieter Pauwel Christ on the
Cross 1627 Oil on panel, 51 x 38 cm Rockox House,
Antwerp

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Compendium of the Catechism

• 112. What is the importance of the Paschal
  Mystery of Jesus?
• 571-573
• The Paschal Mystery of Jesus, which comprises his
  passion, death, resurrection, and glorification,
  stands at the center of the Christian faith
  because God's saving plan was accomplished once
  for all by the redemptive death of his Son Jesus
  Christ.

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Introduction

• Among the great mysteries of Jesus Christs love
  recounted in the Gospels, the most amazing is His
  Passion, Death and Resurrection.
• Why did Jesus die? For our salvation, that is to
  say, to gain for us forgiveness of our sins and
  to give us back the grace and the friendship of
  God. This way Jesus showed His love for us and
  also manifested the evil of sin.

ROSSO FIORENTINO Descent from the Cross
(detail) 1521 Oil on wood Cathedral, Volterra
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Main ideas
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1. Jesus Christ is the Saviour

• After our first parents fall, man had to be
  redeemed.
• Out of His infinite love for men, God sent His
  Son so that we could be saved from our sins.
• Jesus Christ is the Son of God made man who has
  saved us. He and only He is the Redeemer of man.

GRECO, El Christ as Saviour c. 1600 Oil on
canvas, 73 x 56,5 cm National Gallery of
Scotland, Edinburgh
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2. Jesus Christ offers a sacrifice of infinite
value

• God asks Abraham to sacrifice his only son.
  Abraham obeys heroically, takes Isaac, together
  with a heap of wood, and goes up to the mountain
  to sacrifice him. But once Abrahams faith has
  been tested God does not consent to the
  sacrifice.
• Isaacs sacrifice is a prefiguration of Christs
  Passion, with the only difference being that, in
  the case of His Son, God accepted his sacrifice
  and gave Him up unto death for us.

EMPOLI Sacrifice of Isaac 1590s Oil on copper, 32
x 25 cm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
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3. Jesus Christ, priest, offers himself

• In the Old Testament priests were in charge of
  offering sacrifices to God.
• Jesus Christ, eternal priest, did not offer
  either things of the earth or animals. He
  offered Himself.
• Jesus Christ is at the same time the Priest that
  offered himself on the Cross, and the Victim of
  this sacrifice.

BADALOCCHIO, Sisto The Dead Christ Oil on panel,
20 x 31 cm Private collection
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4. Why did Jesus Christ offer Himself on the
Cross?

• Jesus Christ offered Himself on the Cross mainly
  for four reasons
• To give glory to God, His Father.
• To thank God.
• To pay for the offence of sin.
• To ask God for what we need.

DAVID, Jacques-Louis Christ on the Cross 1782 Oil
on canvas, 276 x 188 cm Church of St Vincent,
Mâcon
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5. The Cross in Christian life

• " He who does not take up his Cross and follow me
  cannot be my disciple" (Lk 1427).
• Jesus took the Cross on His shoulders also to
  give us an example by teaching us to love
  sacrifice. In order to be identified with Him, we
  have to love things that we do not like by
  offering them to Jesus and also, for love of Him,
  to look for those things that we like least.
  

GRECO, El Christ Carrying the Cross 1600-05 Oil
on canvas, 108 x 78 cm Museo del Prado, Madrid
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Resolutions for Christian life
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Resolutions to move forward

• Give thanks to Jesus wherever you see a Cross or
  a Crucifix, because He has died to save us.
• Contemplate the XIV Stations of the Way of the
  Cross.