We have before us today the bloody footsteps that were tread for our salvation and our redemption. Steps that were taken so that we could be saved, steps that are not just a symbol of sacrifice, but, indeed, the very epitome of love.
Our Gospel today conveys this, it retraces those steps beautifully, so that these words are more than a retelling of a seemingly tired story, but words that enter our very hearts and touch our lives, so that we can reflect on the great mystery that unfolds before us, of the great miracle of our deliverance from sin and death. This is why countless saints would meditate upon these words, memorize these words, and let the Passion of Christ touch them so deeply that, sometimes, they would even weep.
St. Josemaria Escriva, once gave his spiritual directee some hard advice. He said: The saints, you tell me, would burst into tears of sorrow at the thought of the Passion of our Lord. Whereas I…Perhaps that is because you and I witness the scenes but do not “live” them.”
Yet, what does it mean to “live them?” By putting ourselves in the midst of the crowd, and observing what it is we would actually have done while there. Would it have been us holding that whip in our hands? Would it have been us denying Him three times? Would it have been us crying out for His crucifixion, ordering His torture and turning Him over to the crowd? Would it have been us driving the nails into His hands and His feet? Or would it have been us holding a towel to let Him wash His face, or helping Him hold the cross?
In truth, it would have been us, and it is always us who both drive the nail and wipe His face, we are that fickle crowd who cheers and sings “Hosanna” and, not a day later, shout, in great anger, “Crucify Him!,” we wash our hands in water and wash His feet with our tears. We are Peter and we are Herod, we are the high priests and we are Veronica, we are the ones who casts lots for His garments at the foot of the Cross and we are St. Simon of Cyrene helping to carry His cross, we are the people crying out for His crucifixion and the daughters of Jerusalem weeping for His life. In other words, we are a part of this mystery and it is us who both help Him in His life and lead Him to His death.
Every move, and every action Jesus makes from this point on has the possibility to save us, every bruise, every gash, every wound a stark and sobering reminder of our sins.
These are the steps of our redemption and, our lives, literally, hang in the balance, between Heaven and earth, because His did, and, whether we wanted it or not, we are now walking side by side with Him, once again, retracing the very essence of our salvation, the moments, that if we choose to, can make us holy.
The greatest of all mysteries is beginning to slowly unfold before us, those same mysteries that occur upon this altar, those same mysteries that occur at Mass every single day and those same mysteries that will, ultimately, draw us into this Holy Week. A week that points us to the lasting promise by our Savior, the promise of our salvation.
Our journey does not end where our Gospel does today, nor does it end on Good Friday with the Cross or even on Holy Saturday, in fact, it does not even end in the tomb. In truth, there really is no end, only the introduction of something beautiful, the introduction of something new, a new hope and, indeed, a new life. Today and always, with Christ, we can walk with Him, living those scenes, that take us from Gethsemane to Calvary, from the tomb to Resurrection, from this Sunday to Easter Sunday, to everlasting life.
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