Jesus just keeps coming and coming and coming and coming. How familiar are you with the Reason for the season?
"Ecce homo!" Behold the Man.
How familiar are you with the Reason for the seasons of Advent and Christmas? How familiar are you with Jesus the Reason, your Savior, and the Love of your eternal life.
He is so in love with you.
LESSON EIGHTDuring this very powerful lesson as Advent concludes and Christmas draws near, Jesus brings you to the pillar where He is scourged.
First, our Lord unifies you with Himself and shares that moment with you physically and very personally.
Next, the Lord has you watch the scourging from very close proximity.
Suddenly, you see words begin exiting the wounds in Christ's Sacred Body as His Precious Blood projects in all directions, sowing the seeds of faith out into time and space.
The first word you see exiting His wounds is LOVE. The next word you also see begin exiting His wounds: MERCY.
Then, one more word begins exiting the wounds as His savage scourging continues: GRACE.
You are there with Jesus as these three words stream from the wounds in His Sacred Body during the scouring at the pillar.
ECCE HOMO: BEHOLD THE MAN!
Immediately after that, the Lord takes you to another moment during His Passion. You find yourself standing behind Jesus and Pilate and can see past them, out into the crowd before them.
Two things are presented to you, very vividly to your eyes and very profoundly to your intellect: Christ's Precious Blood coming from His wounds and the crown of thorns on His Sacred Head.
SUBMISSION AND SACRIFICE
Pilate says to the crowd, "Ecce homo!"
Behold the Man.
Behold the Man.
And then guess what happens. Do you know what happens?
Our innocent Jesus was rejected and shown no mercy in His catastrophically
injured condition.
"My Jesus..."
What words do you express to Him at that defining moment for every soul.
OUR LORD'S RESPONSE
Just guess what happens next during this very powerful lesson presented to your soul by our Savior and the Love of your eternal life.
As Jesus stands before the crowd, having been so mistreated and rejected by so many, you see one word starts exiting the wounds
all over His Body.
That word begins streaming from Him everywhere, since He was wounded everywhere.
That word begins streaming from Him everywhere, since He was wounded everywhere.
The one word you see streaming from the wounds all over His Sacred Body as He stands before Pilate and the crowd during that very horrible moment: FORGIVENESS.
Jesus takes you to the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the next part of the lesson. At the start of Holy Mass, Jesus presents Himself above the altar. The scene unfolding before your eyes as Holy Mass continues is very dramatic and also very large, filling the entire space above the altar.
You see Jesus standing next to Pilate, and He has been brutally scourged and crowned with thorns.
Both men stand before everyone in the church, all the people in the congregation celebrating Holy Mass.
The Man with great courage was silent and spoke volumes; the man without courage spoke and said to you and to everyone present, "Ecce Homo!"
"Behold the Man!"
That moment is a very personal and very significant one for each one of us. Every one of us stands with Jesus at that very moment.
ANOTHER VERY PERSONAL PUBLIC AND PRIVATE MOMENT
Not only do you join those who were present at that very moment in time, you are present along with your congregation, and also along with all the congregations who were present for each Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered through all time.
You are there collectively with a great many people, but also you are there alone, individually and very personally, to participate in that very significant event with Jesus.
BRING EVERYONE WITH YOU
Next, you are shown the people physically present in the church during that Holy Mass, and then are shown many more people present among them.They are your loved ones who do not go to Holy Mass. Jesus tells you that you bring them with you when you pray for them. So many more people are there to hear Pilate declare, "Behold the Man!" because people in church are praying for them.
ECCE HOMO AND THE CONSECRATION
The lesson continues with your being shown Jesus at the Last Supper presenting His own Sacred Flesh and Blood in the Blessed Sacrament so He would remain with us always. In an instant you see and understand His knowledge as He did so that the Ecce
Homo moment was coming.
So much could be said about those two moments that have been presented to you together at the time of the consecration.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Behold the Man.
Spend time getting to know Jesus and avail yourself of the Sacraments He instituted for every single one of us, knowing that we need the love, mercy, graces, and forgiveness provided to us by God through them.
Accept Jesus into your life.
Receive Him from the hands of Pilate and show Him compassion, love, reverence, and awe. Treat Him well, the King of kings.
Love Him lavishly, and extravagantly.
Accept His magnificent offers of salvation and sanctification.
Live a sacramental life of heroic virtue. Obtain much needed grace for yourself and for others.
Work hard at remaining in a state of grace and enjoy the most incredible moments of Divine intimacy with Jesus when receiving Him in the Blessed Sacrament, the Sacrament of Love.
Give yourself to Him completely as He gives Himself to you completely. Promise to love Him and honor Him, all the days of your life. Our Lord longs to create the most beautiful things from your union.
Jesus is so in love with you!
© Joseph Karl Publishing /Michele Bondi Bottesi
ADDITIONAL INSIGHT TO HELP REINFORCE THE LESSON
An insightful perspective on that very defining moment for every
single soul as we prepare our hearts to properly receive our
King: "Ecce Homo: a Good Friday Homily."
CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR YOU FROM OUR KING: LESSONS 1 - 7 Lesson 1: "Ascend Higher!"
Lesson 2: The Light of the World
Lesson 3: A Present for You from Jesus.
Lesson 4: A Mother/Son Rescue and the Powerful Weapon in Your Hand.
Lesson 5: Living Entirely for Jesus as He Guides Your Soul to Perfection.
Lesson 6: On Determination: The Only Spiritual Defeats are the Ones We are Willing to Accept.
Lesson 7: Purity, Christ's Passion & Your Protection
More than thirty meditations on Christ's Passion to help guide you during Advent and Christmas into some serious Divine intimacy with the Love of your eternal life: Meditating on Christ's Passion.
"Trust all things to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and to Mary, Help of Christians,
and you will see what miracles are."
~St. John Bosco
To access a fishing boatload full of PROFOUNDLY Catholic material
including award-winning books, images, articles, audio, and video,
all immeasurably and eternally valuable and free, just like God's love,
visit: www.josephkarlpublishing.com.
all immeasurably and eternally valuable and free, just like God's love,
visit: www.josephkarlpublishing.com.
God is at work in you!
Meditating on Christ's Passion, coming early 2014, for you.
Images taken at Ss. Cyril and Methodius Slovak Catholic Church,
and at Joseph Karl Publishing, Rochester Hills, Michigan, U.S.A.
THE POWERFUL DEVOTION TO THE HOLY FACE OF JESUS
To learn more about the Work of Reparation through the Devotion to the Holy Face,
which our Lord, Jesus Christ called "the most beautiful work under the sun,"
visit: Work of Reparation Through the Devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus
Please share the information with others.
God is at work in you!!
To learn more about the Work of Reparation through the Devotion to the Holy Face,
which our Lord, Jesus Christ called "the most beautiful work under the sun,"
visit: Work of Reparation Through the Devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus
Please share the information with others.
God is at work in you!!
