Why did Jesus have to die on the Cross?

What does passion of Christ really mean? Some people would say it’s the period of the intense suffering in the life of Jesus Christ from the Garden of Gethsemane to the crucifixion, while some know it through images of grisly punishment represented in the movie of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. Both these views are reasonably correct, buy there is much more to discover about the passion of Christ.

God’s word to humanity says that all people have sinned against Him by breaking His commandments. Even a single sin committed against God is enough to separate us from Him. But God’s love for us didn’t falter, so He knew that there was only one way to redeem all of mankind to Himself. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to live a sinless life and die on the cross as a sacrifice for the people’s sins. Jesus could have refused to do that for us but He didn’t. The source of His passion was His love for us.

For the sake of bringing back humans to God, Jesus made Himself nothing. He left the glory of heaven and take the human form to live an obedient life of self-sacrifice required for the holiness of God. To know more about Jesus, visit Old St. Mary’s catholic church today.

His Resurrection: Easter Sunday

Christians rejoice and celebrate at the last day of Lent. Easter centers on the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after his death by crucifixion. The word “Easter” is believed to be derived from “Estre”, who is an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. All the majors of Christianity celebrate this holiday. Jesus Christ’s resurrection is the centerpiece of the whole Christian faith. Easter is also the oldest Christian holiday. And another special thing about Easter is that all the movable feasts and the entirety of the liturgical year of worship are all centered on Easter.

Religious Observances during Easter Sunday

The common elements that are being observed in most Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant churches during Easter include baptism and the Eucharist. In Roman Catholicism, Easter is celebrated with a vigil that includes “the blessing of the new fire”, a service of lessons, called the prophecies, lighting of the paschal candle, followed by the blessing of the font and ended by baptisms and the mass of Easter.

Another tradition that is associated with Easter is the tradition of finding Easter Eggs. Eggs are connected to the symbol of spring, which means life and rebirth, the same as Easter. However, some Christians do not follow this custom due to its pagan connotations.

As Easter Sunday comes, we should take heed of the significance of the day, and celebrate appropriately according to our own Catholic traditions.