March 15
We must be ready to be crucified
o let us take
our part in the Passover prescribed by the law, not in a literal way, but
according to the teaching of the Gospel; not in an imperfect way, but perfectly;
not only for a time, but eternally. Let us regard as our home the heavenly
Jerusalem, not the earthly one; the city glorified by angels, not the one
laid waste by armies. We are not required to sacrifice young bulls or rams,
beasts with horns and hoofs that are more dead than alive and devoid of
feeling; but instead, let us join the choirs of angels in offering God
upon his heavenly altar a sacrifice of praise. We must now pass through
the first veil and approach the second, turning our eyes toward the Holy
of Holies. I will say more: we must sacrifice ourselves to God, each day
and in everything we do, accepting all that happens to us for the sake
of the Word, imitating his passion by our sufferings, and honoring his
blood by shedding our own. We must be ready to be crucified.
From John E. Rotelle, O.S.A., Tradition Day by Day: Readings from
Church Writers. Augustinian Press. Villanova, PA, 1994.
HTML text prepared by David P. Steelman
