The narrative of the Passion begins with Judas’ betrayal and ends with Jesus’ mysterious cry on the cross at Golgotha. As the Passion story unfolded, the deepening darkness of night descended upon us, expressing the confusion of our hearts, dulled by sin, writes Dr. Ágoston Péter Bagyinszki OFM.
At the same time, the evangelists report that among the soldiers who crucified Jesus was a centurion who, upon hearing this cry of death and seeing how Jesus breathed his last, said: “Truly this man was the Son of God.”
Jesus’ final cry brought forth life, even there at the foot of the cross. Behind the surface of the story, which depicts destruction and ruin, it is revealed from the very beginning that in Christ, Life has conquered Death. It is like when, through the bark of a living tree and then through the layers of its growth rings, they drill into the hard trunk of a plant containing medicine so that they may tap into the main vein of sap circulation at its center, thereby making some kind of medicine accessible for our agonizing ailments.
The New Testament books depict Jesus’ triumphant cry of death as the very center of the Passion narrative; therefore, let us now turn our attention to this cry of Jesus and the Gospel contained within it!
An English writer (Frank Topping – editor’s note) attempts, in a meditative way, to penetrate the thoughts in the heart of the Roman centurion standing at the foot of the cross when he writes: “There has never been a death like this, for it surpasses all imagination. He did not struggle with death. Death was his servant; it did not rule over him. This man was not defeated… On the cross, he was struggling with something far more serious than the Pharisees’ bitter remarks. No, he was fighting a completely different battle. In the end, a cry of victory burst forth from him. Everyone asked what it was, but I can tell the difference between one battle and another. Even among a thousand, I recognize the cry of victory!”
Every evangelist mentions this unique moment of Jesus’ death: Kraxas phoné megalé – Clamans voce magna – He breathed his last with a loud cry! In this cry lies everything that Jesus had previously told us, and everything he might still have said, had we listened. This cry continues to echo through the centuries, louder than any human cry—the cries of war, pain, joy, and despair. Moreover, there is something else that is of utmost importance regarding this cry.
Where the other evangelists write that “Jesus cried out loudly and gave up his spirit,” John says: “He bowed his head and gave up the Spirit.” (Jn 19:30) So he did not merely take his last breath, but he also gave the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the gift of Pentecost. In this sense, we were born in that cry! It was a cry resounding in the Holy Spirit: not the ordinary cry of a dying man.
And following the cry, “the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom; the earth shook, the rocks split, and the tombs opened” (Mk 27:51). All this happened to signify what should take place in our hearts.
Jesus did not accomplish the work of redeeming the rocks when he cried out. Other “rocks” must be split open: it is the “hearts of stone” of people that, having led him to Golgotha, remained stubborn and obstinate.
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We must not, therefore, grope blindly for the secret of Jesus’ Good Friday cry. The Holy Spirit Himself, who inspired this cry resounding in the Holy Spirit, reveals its meaning in the pages of the Gospels and Scripture, and in the liturgy of the Holy Mother Church, inspired by the Spirit.
The cry: the victorious cry of selfless love, eternally alive and reaching even to the love of enemies. For Regnavit a ligno Deus—the Lord reigned from the cross…
(Meditation upon the thoughts of Dr. Ágoston Péter Bagyinszki OFM)
Via felvidek.ma; Featured image: Pixabay
The post Beyond the Darkness: The Triumphant Cry that Conquered Death appeared first on Hungary Today.
