THE PASSION OF THE LORD. FATHER THE PALM.

 

“Consummatum is”

 The Lord was sent to the world with two assignments: to act as Teacher and as Redeemer, to teach men and redeem them. And Jesus fulfilled the two things to the end and did them perfectly. At dinner the night before, while speaking with his apostles, he said to his Father: "I    have glorified you    on earth by carrying out the work    that   you commissioned me to do. Now, Father, glorify me with you, with the glory that I had by your side before the world was. I have manifested your name to those you have given me.” And when he was going to suffer, he said to his own: "Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that the prophets wrote about the Son of man will be fulfilled." That tells them: We are going up to Jerusalem and there “everything will be fulfilled”, it will be fulfilled until the last letter that the prophets have written about Me. For this reason, the words that he said almost at the end on the cross clearly indicate that everything was truly accomplished. On the way to Jerusalem he had said “it will be fulfilled”, in the future, but now he could already say: “it has been fulfilled”, because everything had already happened. Everything, his commission to teach men and his wonderful work of redemption. On the cross everything was fulfilled, so that the chosen ones of God would know that in the cross is “the divine strength and wisdom”, and the perfection and fullness of all things. What is an enigma for man, what is dark, what is "a scandal for the Jews and madness for the Gentiles" is omnipotence for God.

Everything is finished, I have already drunk the chalice of my Passion, to the bottom, without leaving a single drop in it. The prophecies have been fulfilled and everything has been illuminated, clarifying in Me all the meaning of the Scripture. I have already paid the debt that was due to sinners, and I have bought glory for their just price. Peace has already been signed between God and men. The fight against sin and hell is over, I have won. My life on this earth ends, and the triumph of my glory begins: “everything is finished”.    Mysterious words    that    enclose    everything    that Jesus Christ    did for            our redemption. He only knows the meaning of what he said, because only En performed them. This was the happy and joyous news given to us from the cross by the one who, through it, won us that prize. We must place ourselves at the foot of the cross, in order to better understand the truth of this mystery and this great benefit. In the presence of the Lord, and helped by his grace, we will ponder    how    great was the debt    that Adam transmitted to his children, by disobeying God. Being our father, he was obligated to pay the debt, but neither he nor we could pay even by pooling all our capital. Every day new debts were added to the previous ones still unpaid , the                                  mens   they sinned willfully, and increased the debt. Men, persecuted by divine Justice, could not free themselves from their obligation, afraid to hear only the name of justice. What a sad and desolate sight! It produced compassion to see sinful man so punished, an errant debtor to his Lord. As soon as he died, the demons were ready to take his soul and take it to hell, where he would pay his debt in full. But it was not possible to finish paying, it was necessary, therefore, that the penalties be eternal. But the Lord is merciful, full of compassion, he came down from heaven to settle our obligation, "to pay what he had not stolen." He put himself on the cross and, with the price of his blood, paid our debts. He bought the bills of our debts and, with them, became our Lord; and this Lord let us go free, tore up the papers of the debts and forgave us completely. In addition, he removed the devil's right over us, "canceled the charge note that was against us, that of the prescriptions with its unfavorable clauses, and suppressed it by nailing it to the cross." And he did not want to leave the world without first giving us the news, the good news of our redemption and freedom: "Everything has been fulfilled." I have already paid your debt, you are free. His redemption was so generous, he paid so excessively for our debt, that not only was it enough to pay off the debt and free us from hell, but he even got us eternal life, and there was still more. The Passion of the Lord deserved glory for all, and what our solitary sufferings could not pay, then, together at the feet of Christ, they also make a just price for our own debts. That is why the Lord said when he died: It is already paid. With these words, the man, poor as he was, was enriched with the mercy of God; the one who before trembled as a debtor just hearing the word justice, can now ask God, as Just judge, "the prize, like an athlete who has competed according to the rules"; he can present himself before the court of God and demand with certainty, because the words of Jesus Christ support his request: “Everything is paid for. Consummatum est”. The Lord freely gave the forgiveness of sins, the strength to obtain eternal life, and it cost him blood, it cost him his life. Peace was signed forever. Men with their sins disobeyed God and did not fulfill his commands. It was really a miserable situation because, how can man hide from God and flee from Him to avoid his justice? Nobody could make friends with God, nobody had peace with himself, how could he have it if he was at war with God? There was no remedy or consolation for man, who was there that he could act as mediator between the Lord and men and obtain forgiveness from Him? There was no one. On the other hand, peace cannot be made if there is no satisfaction of the wrongs done, and fulfilling the word of not doing more wrongs to the contrary. But the man, alone, was so poor and so weak that he had neither the power to satisfy the wrongs done nor the strength not to fall back into new offenses. This is the reason why peace could not be made between God and man. And war, God being such a powerful enemy, was always to the detriment of man, and it was so much so, that the penalty inflicted on the vanquished was eternal death. What a merciful heart God has! In this distressing situation, she helped and saved the man by sending him the missing Mediator. Christ Jesus was the one that suited men, and the one that suited God, because he was a man, and he was God. In Him, says Saint Paul, "he decided   let there    be    the    fullness    of    divinity    .    for    him    wanted   reconciling all things to himself, he made peace between heaven and earth through the blood he shed on the cross. There was the "Prince of Peace" nailed to the cross, and raised high between heaven and earth, ensuring the capitulations of peace so that it would be firm and secure and eternal. He did not treat this matter with God as we men do, that we speak with God only by faith, but Jesus spoke with Him seeing Him face to face, and the whole court of heaven was present at the stipulations of peace between his King and the Father Eternal. Jesus offered on behalf of men his Blood and his Life, with that he paid his debts and satisfied the injuries they had done to God; he asked for peace “with loud cries and tears”. And God heard him, not only because of the immense payment he offered, but because of the humility with which he asked for it and because of the love that the Father had for his Son. Thus God agreed to reconcile and make peace with men, and forced himself to maintain peace and friendship for   forever.    Finished    this    agreement, the    Gentleman    said:    It    is already    paid, already   it is concluded, peace is already made. Consummatum est. When the Lord died on the cross, he became "the author and finisher of our faith." On the cross he accomplished the main things we believe in, and made firm those we hope for; he paved the way for us to attain the things above, and encouraged us to leave these things below for him. On the cross all the promises of God are found and come true. "All the promises of God, in Him are the yes". All the promises made by God have had in Jesus Christ the yes of their fulfillment, everything has been realized in Him; “That is why we say, thanks to Him, Amen to the glory of God”. The Law could not "bring anything to its due perfection", because it was full of sterile and empty ceremonies, but "the Lord, with only his sacrifice, finished and perfected forever those who were to be saints", and to all these things he referred when he said: "Everything is finished." Everything is already perfect, I have accomplished everything.  I have carried to   the   end   what  Eternal Wisdom had arranged, I have paid what His justice asked for, and everything has been done in favor of man, because God is merciful and full of mercy. Everything that was promised to the patriarchs has already been fulfilled, what the prophets announced, all the images and all the symbols and figures that had been written about Me are now clear and full of meaning. Everything is done. I have already taught you everything so that you leave your ignorance, so that you are strong and correct your mistakes. I have given you all the remedy to cure your ills. Nothing is lacking that the lukewarm need to become fervent and strong; to cure the sick and prevent disease to the healthy; nothing is missing for your consolation, so that you may be saints and leave sin behind. I have overcome the world now you can already triumph over the devil because “everything is finished”. In order for these words to be true, the Lord steadfastly suffered many pains, spent more than three hours hanging on the cross, and his enemies asked him to come down to show them that he was the Son of God, and they mocked him because they did not He was coming down, but He persevered on the cross. How did they not realize that it is not from God to start things and not finish them? He had begun our Redemption, he had committed himself, even if it was necessary to give his life, and he gave it all. He ended life and finished Redemption, for both things he said: "Everything is over" and his enemies asked him to come down to show them that he was the Son of God, and they mocked him because he did not come down, but he persevered on the cross. How did they not realize that it is not from God to start things and not finish them? He had begun our Redemption, he had committed himself, even if it was necessary to give his life, and he gave it all. He ended life and finished Redemption, for both things he said: "Everything is over" and his enemies asked him to come down to show them that he was the Son of God, and they mocked him because he did not come down, but he persevered on the cross. How did they not realize that it is not from God to start things and not finish them? He had begun our Redemption, he had committed himself, even if it was necessary to give his life, and he gave it all. He ended life and finished Redemption, for both things he said: "Everything is over"

With what he did, we can    learn not to give up or turn    back from anything we have    started, if it    was    for the    glory    of    God.    No matter how    many    difficulties    that    arise, no matter how many inconveniences they give us, we must never turn back, lest they say of us that: "This man began to build and could not finish."    All his work has    been useless    , because    the house    is empty.   end up. Let us persevere firmly on the cross, “let us run with strength the test that is proposed to us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the one who initiates and perfects faith, the one who endured the cross without fear of that ignominy, and is now seated at the right of God". Very often, as St. Paul advises us, we must consider the example of our Lord: “¡Look at him who endured such contradiction on the part of sinners, ¡lest you lose your strength! You have not yet resisted to the point of blood in your fight against sin.” We should fight and even shed blood, die for justice and be faithful "until death if we want to get the crown of life." We must not flee from the cross, but persevere in it until it is completely fulfilled in   us the will of God. We must learn from Jesus that he persevered until he could say: "It is finished." All setbacks and sorrows end. With time everything ends. God wants the pain of his own to end soon. What at first may seem intolerable, if we suffer a little, we turn our heads and it's over. And then, we never lack the consolation of the Savior, Jesus knows suffering because he suffered to the point of death, He understands us and tells us words that soothe and reassure: "It's all over." The    Virgin    Mary    raised    her    eyes quickly when    she heard her Son say : "All                           it's over,” because he thought his life was over. What would he feel when he noticed in the face, already yellowish of Jesus, the features of death? What would he feel? She saw him with dry lips, sharp nose, obscured that beautiful look of Jesus. She dropped her head onto his chest as she breathed heavily. Suddenly, his mother lost her arms to support her head; but it could only be a gesture, her arms did not reach. Her arms fell, alone, without being able to embrace Jesus who was dying, and she could not die with hers.This was the heart of this Mother, her own body fainted when she saw that of her Son in agony. Her soul, as if lost to itself, was so united to her Son's that she was dying of pain with hers. a loud cry." That scream cut deep into her soul, and she was shaken.

"Father, in your hands I entrust my spirit!"

utting something in the hands of another is letting him have his way and do what he wants with what we give him. If what we put in the hands of another is something very dear and valuable and we entrust it to him, he, by entrusting him with such a precious thing, will feel obliged to take care of it as if it were his own. This is how we usually talk to people: I leave this matter in your hands.    My    life is    in your hands.    My    fate is    in    your    hands.   We believe that, by saying that, we are obliging them to really care about us, since we have confidently placed something very important in their care. And, really, if there is seriousness in giving and receiving the assignment, the others take care of us with all their interest. That usually happens between us, that we lie and do things wrong, and sometimes on purpose. Much more reasonable and sensible is that we trust in God, that we put in his hands all our things and even ourselves, because "he is holy in all his works, and faithful, and true in all his words". Can you tell if someone who trusted Him was disappointed? Who approached Him that was not attended? Who has failed by waiting on Him? All that we have is his, and nothing that we put into his hands we have left before receiving from him.   Saint    Peter    tells us: “Humble yourselves under the   mighty hand of God!” We must consider and believe that everything he does in us is good, we must obey and love what he has for us. This trust in God is more valuable when we are suffering a setback, when he has taken away something we wanted. In those moments, in addition to trusting in Him, we must consider and believe that everything He does in us is good, we must obey and love what He has for us. This trust in God is more valuable when we are suffering a setback, when he has taken away something we wanted. In those moments, in addition to trusting in Him, we must also put what we have left in his hands, so that he can dispose of it as he pleases. With that we manifest that he "he is just and holy in all that he does", that, when he afflicts us, he loves us. He is faithful to our love and does not lie. We must never run away from his hands or take anything we have given him. And if the tribulation were so great that we   lead to death, even then we must trust   Him, wait, and not hide from his protective hand. Sometimes it seems that it threatens us, but it is not like that, even if we die it is to give us Life. With this confidence Job said: "Even if he kills me, I will hope in Him". This same thing taught us the one that is Teacher of the men in the same torture of the cross. And he did not stop trusting and praising God even in the midst of cruel torments. Even before beginning his Passion, as soon as he entered the garden, he placed his honor and his life in God's hands: “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; but, if it cannot be, my Father, and I must drink it, let not what I want be done, but what You want. Once he knew for sure that his Father wanted him to drink that cup of bitterness, he took it with such decision and obedience, that Peter wanted to prevent him, and Jesus rebuked him: “Do you not want me to drink the cup that my Father gave me?” On such an anguished occasion as this the Lord placed himself totally in the hands of his Father, and he saw his death, and the shame he would suffer, and the pain.  And    then, after    the    terrible lashes, after being nailed to the cross for three hours, he still trusts his Father who was treating him with such rigorous justice, and he surrenders his spirit and leaves it in his hands. He called God Father before suffering    and   He kept calling Father while he suffered and later, already on the verge of death: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”. He knew for sure that he was going to rise on the third day, that this victory was due to his merits; however, he did not want to take justice into his own hands, but rather he waited to take it from God's hand. He placed his spirit in the hands of God, his faithful trustee, and he knew that, within the appointed period, after three days, he would revive his body, already glorious and immortal. And with that confidence and security he told him: "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." The hands of God were the safest place, death could do nothing in them: "The soul of the just is in the hands of God, and the torment of death will not harm them." The Lord assured us that the hands of God were the place where to deposit our soul, in this way he calmed our greatest concern: now we know what will become of the soul after death. All men have always been concerned to know what will become of the soul after death. That must be what most anguishes those who are about to die, when the body seems to push the soul out, and they don't know where their soul will go. Those who have faith, even a little bit, know that wherever it goes, there it will stay forever. And this faith anguishes the soul even more if it lacks Those who have faith, even a little bit, know that wherever it goes, there it will stay forever. And this faith anguishes the soul even more if it lacks Those who have faith, even a little bit, know that wherever it goes, there it will stay forever. And this faith anguishes the soul even more if it lacks   trust in God.   There    is no other way out, only    God    can save   to the man. He can do nothing but throw himself into the hands of God, trust in his mercy, put his own destiny and his eternal fate in his, and say: "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." The Gospel points out that Jesus said those words with a loud cry. Saint Matthew says: "Jesus, then, giving a loud cry again, breathed out the spirit." And Saint Mark: "Jesus, then, gave a loud cry and died." But only Saint Luke repeats what Jesus said when he died: "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." The Lord did not cry out for no reason; With that powerful and strong voice he showed the confidence and security with which he died, the triumph that he conquered over his enemies. That cry was the cry of a winner.

 He showed that he was the Lord of life and death, that he died of his own

 The same scripture ponders his silence: “This is my chosen servant, my beloved, in whom my soul delights; he will not defend himself nor will he cry out nor will anyone hear his voice.”   And in another place: "Like a lamb before its shearer, so he will be, mute and without opening his mouth." He was silent before those who accused him, he spoke very little and never tried to prove his innocence, he even told the Pontiff that he was asking him: “Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard what I have said, they know it.” He did not want to respond in his defense, he only said what was necessary: ​​that he was the Son of God. Instead, on the cross he spoke seven times, overcoming with great effort his pain and his exhaustion. He spoke, and not to defend himself, but for our benefit. Three times he spoke to God, and two of these times he did so loudly.   in the other  four times he addressed   men:   the first was with the crucified   thief   , to forgive him and give him    eternal life;    the second time, with his Mother and her disciple Juan de el; the third time was to tell the bystanders that he was thirsty, that he was leaving this world and  the synagogue had not quenched her thirst for love, and she had to drink the only fruit of that vineyard: vinegar; she the other time she went to the new Church, giving her the good news that everything was finished, and she had obtained her salvation. Note that of the three times he spoke with God, one was the first, another the last, and the other in the middle: it is an example of how we must turn to God at all times, He must be the beginning and the end of our actions and during them we must also have God present. Twice he spoke loudly with the Father of his God, it was to show her how his soul was on fire with love, which made him shout from the cross. He cried out for us to be sure that his prayer and his sacrifice had been heard by God. God does not need to be spoken to loudly, he hears the most silent desire of the soul. That was what made him cry out, the uncontrollable force of his love, and the desire for us to hear him. “I know that God always hears me,” she said; but so that we too might know it, he wanted to say out loud his prayer to God. St. Paul also said it: “in the days of his life he directed prayers and supplications with great clamor and tears to the one who could save him, and he was heard because of his reverent attitude, and because he was his Son”. And he asked that his soul not be abandoned in sheol, nor let his body become corrupted. And what he asked for happened, what was already symbolically announced in Jonah, that on the third day he was thrown from that huge fish that swallowed him. Therefore, even being about to be swallowed up by death, he left his soul in the hands of God, certain that he would return to his body on the third day, and cried out: “Father! I leave my spirit in your hands! “As soon as you say this, Jesus, “our   glory”, and    for    whom    we all “raise   his head," "he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." With all that he had suffered since the night before, without rest, without eating or sleeping, bleeding, even so he resisted more than three hours on the cross; He himself had said: "I have the power to leave my soul and to take it, and no one can take it from me by force, but I will leave it whenever I want." Even though his enemies "tried to take his life," no one took it from him until he wanted, until the scriptures were fulfilled. He gave his soul when he wanted, when he said: “everything is finished” and he cried out entrusting himself to his Father, his God. He died on his feet, like a brave man. His body remained hanging on the cross, dead, but always united with the person of the Son of God. The cross supported that sacred body, which represented for God the price of our salvation. For men,

sufferings, the example for our lives, the captain of our fight against evil, the guide of our journey, our hope, our    love, the image of the elect. He is also Jesus dead on the cross, the terror of demons, the conqueror of death and sin, the Saint. From the cross he teaches us, he rebukes us, he encourages us, he loves us, as if, after death, he still spoke: “Even dead, he still speaks”.

After the death of the Savior.

All things mourned the death of their Lord. Upon his death    , so many portents and wonderful prodigies occurred that the force that he wanted to keep hidden even after his death was very clear. Those arms stretched out violently and nailed to    the    cross    hid    the   Power of God. That darkness that had lasted since noon disappeared when the Lord died, and the day became clear again. The sun discovered again, clear and high, the wonderful body of Jesus, dead. Because of his death "a new light dawned on those who lived in the shadows and in the dark region of death." The light returned to the earth and, once the Lord died, "the earth trembled and the rocks cracked". "The veil of the Sanctuary was torn in two, from top to bottom." "And all the people who had come to this show, seeing what was happening, turned around beating their chests." In this way, everyone mourned the death of the Lord. Where the death of the Lord first made a visible effect was in the Sanctuary, celebrated for its magnitude and richness throughout the world, and for its holiness. The Temple was the house that God had chosen to live among men and hear their prayers. But there: “the veil was rent from top to bottom” when the Lord died. In the Temple there was a place that was called holy and another more hidden that was called the holy of holies. The court of the holy place was divided with a veil that hung from top to bottom; and, with a second veil, the holy place was separated from the holy of holies. In the holy place was the table of the so-called showbread, the sacrificial altar and the seven-branched candelabrum. In the holy of holies was the golden censer, and the ark of the testament, all also covered with gold; In the ark there was a golden urn containing manna with which God had fed the Jews in the desert, and also Aaron's rod, the one that flourished before God as a sign of divine election. Lastly, the tables of the Law that Moses received from God were preserved in the ark. Above the ark, two golden cherubim looked at each other and covered the table of showbread with their wings. The Temple was built in such a way that through the atrium one entered the holy place, and from the holy place one went to the holy of holies. The court was common to all believers; Only the priests could enter the holy place to offer the sacrifices of each day, but in the place of the saints only the high priest entered, and only once a year, the time the high priest entered, he offered God the blood of a victim, pouring it out, for himself and for the faults of all the people. So when the Lord died, the Gospel says, the veil that separated the holy place from the holy of holies was torn from top to bottom. This was the greatest sign that occurred after the death of the Lord, much more mysterious than the eclipse, the tremor of the earth and the breaking of the stones. The unbelieving Jews could attribute the earthquake and the eclipse of the sun to natural causes, but the tearing of the veil was not natural at all, but a divine sign for them. With this gesture, God withdrew from the holy of holies; removing the veil, he made it known that he was no longer there and that nothing had to be kept secret: the Temple was left empty. Unbelievers could attribute the earthquake and the eclipse of the sun to natural causes, but the tearing of the veil was not natural at all, but a divine sign for them. With this gesture, God withdrew from the holy of holies; removing the veil, he made it known that he was no longer there and that nothing had to be kept secret: the Temple was left empty. Unbelievers could attribute the earthquake and the eclipse of the sun to natural causes, but the tearing of the veil was not natural at all, but a divine sign for them. With this gesture, God withdrew from the holy of holies; removing the veil, he made it known that he was no longer there and that nothing had to be kept secret: the Temple was left empty.

Veils were not needed, images were not needed to speak of the truth: the Truth was there, in full view, naked. The holy of holies had already become any place, because the true holy of holies was now on Calvary, where the true ark of the covenant was also, which contained all the treasures of God, the true Victim of propitiation divine. "In Christ was God reconciling the world to himself." Aaron's rod had been replaced by the tree of the cross. The tables of the Law had been surpassed and perfected by the new commandment of Jesus: love. The manna remained only as a memory, the true Manna was the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, true food of softness and strength for those who travel the world. All those figures had been replaced by Light and Truth. They were also hidden, hidden, but the Lord was not hidden, he was raised up, naked and stretched out on the cross, so that we can look at him very slowly, and look at him again. Being raised from the earth, as he had said, with the force of his love he drew all things to himself and, therefore, the synagogue was empty, and his Temple like a deserted house without an owner. Until then, the holy of holies had meant the kingdom of heaven, which is the place, hidden from the eyes of men, where God lives. Only the High Priest could enter, and only once a year, "in this way the Holy Spirit made it understood that he had not yet naked and stretched out on the cross, so that very slowly we look at him, and we look at him again. Being raised from the earth, as he had said, with the force of his love he drew all things to himself and, therefore, the synagogue was empty, and his Temple like a deserted house without an owner. Until then, the holy of holies had meant the kingdom of heaven, which is the place, hidden from the eyes of men, where God lives. Only the High Priest could enter, and only once a year, "in this way he made the Holy Spirit understand that he had not yet naked and stretched out on the cross, so that very slowly we look at him, and we look at him again. Being raised from the earth, as he had said, with the force of his love he drew all things to himself and, therefore, the synagogue was empty, and his Temple like a deserted house without an owner. Until then, the holy of holies had meant the kingdom of heaven, which is the place, hidden from the eyes of men, where God lives. Only the High Priest could enter, and only once a year, "in this way he made the Holy Spirit understand that he had not yet Until then, the holy of holies had meant the kingdom of heaven, which is the place, hidden from the eyes of men, where God lives. Only the High Priest could enter, and only once a year, "in this way the Holy Spirit made it understood that he had not yet Until then, the holy of holies had meant the kingdom of heaven, which is the place, hidden from the eyes of men, where God lives. Only the High Priest could enter, and only once a year, "in this way the Holy Spirit made it understood that he had not yet   the path of glory was open as long as the ancient tabernacle remained.” “But Christ presented himself, as High Priest of future goods, through a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made by human hands, that is, not of this world. And he entered the sanctuary once for all, not    with the    blood    of    goats or    bulls , but with his own blood, obtaining eternal redemption. For this reason the veil of the Temple was torn, thus showing that the way to heaven was already open                      .All these signs were of great consolation and joy for those who believed in Jesus crucified; however, for the unbelieving Jews it was a sign that filled them with fear and awe. It would not be surprising if, even so, many did not believe. Others yes, others saw in that sign the wrath and indignation of God, they warned that his Temple, of which they had been so proud,    had    torn    its    own   garments mourning the death of the Redeemer, and they also considered their own garments useless and repented of their former wickedness. While this was happening in the Temple, the earth shook with an earthquake outside, and the stones were broken. The earth itself recognized its Creator, and rejoiced to see how he triumphed over his enemies. "When you, Lord, went out leading your people and passed through the desert, the earth moved." “The mountains jumped like kids, and the hills like little lambs. Before God the earth moved”: these things happened when Yahweh brought the Israelites out of their bondage and drowned his enemies the Egyptians in the Red Sea. If God did this portent for his chosen people, who were unfaithful to him so many times, with more reason he would do it to honor his dear Son, who had always been faithful to him. Even the earth recognized that its Maker triumphed over sin, hell, and death. He rescued his people from the slavery of sin, and "he was guiding them with his mercy", sustaining them with his strength through the desert on the way to the cross, until he set them, now free, in the Promised Land of heaven. Even the hard rocks broke crying the death of the Savior; They thus condemned another harshness, that of the incredulity of those Jews. The rocks were broken, but they remained unmoved without acknowledging or crying his sin. Hell shook, death trembled at seeing itself so close to life, defeated and defeated forever. “Death was devoured by victory. Death! Where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? The Lord mocked her, when he thought He rescued his people from the slavery of sin, and “he was guiding them with his mercy”, sustaining them with his strength through the desert on the way to the cross, until he placed them, now free, in the Promised Land of heaven. Even the hard rocks broke crying the death of the Savior; They thus condemned another harshness, that of the incredulity of those Jews. The rocks were broken, but they remained unmoved without acknowledging or crying his sin. Hell shook, death trembled at seeing itself so close to life, defeated and defeated forever. “Death was devoured by victory. Death! Where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? The Lord mocked her, when he thought He rescued his people from the slavery of sin, and “he was guiding them with his mercy”, sustaining them with his strength through the desert on the way to the cross, until he placed them, already free, in the Promised Land of heaven. Even the hard rocks broke crying the death of the Savior; They thus condemned another harshness, that of the incredulity of those Jews. The rocks were broken, but they remained unmoved without acknowledging or crying his sin. Hell shook, death trembled at seeing itself so close to life, defeated and defeated forever. “Death was devoured by victory. Death! Where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? The Lord mocked her, when he thought sustaining him with his strength through the desert on the way to the cross, until setting him free in the Promised Land of heaven. Even the hard rocks broke crying the death of the Savior; They thus condemned another harshness, that of the incredulity of those Jews. The rocks were broken, but they remained unmoved without acknowledging or crying his sin. Hell shook, death trembled at seeing itself so close to life, defeated and defeated forever. “Death was devoured by victory. Death! Where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? The Lord mocked her, when he thought sustaining him with his strength through the desert on the way to the cross, until setting him free in the Promised Land of heaven. Even the hard rocks broke crying the death of the Savior; They thus condemned another harshness, that of the incredulity of those Jews. The rocks were broken, but they remained unmoved without acknowledging or crying his sin. Hell shook, death trembled at seeing itself so close to life, defeated and defeated forever. “Death was devoured by victory. Death! Where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? The Lord mocked her, when he thought The rocks were broken, but they remained unmoved without acknowledging or crying their sin. Hell shook, death trembled at seeing itself so close to life, defeated and defeated forever. “Death was devoured by victory. Death! Where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? The Lord mocked her, when he thought The rocks were broken, but they remained unmoved without acknowledging or crying their sin. Hell shook, death trembled at seeing itself so close to life, defeated and defeated forever. “Death was devoured by victory. Death! Where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? The Lord mocked her, when he thought

arrest him, she was imprisoned; he raised her to the top of the cross and threw her off the cliff forever. Death died absorbed by life, thus what was prophesied was fulfilled: “Death! I will be your death! “Hell and all its demons trembled because, as Saint Paul says: “The Savior took from their hands the writing of condemnation that they had against men, and nailed it to the cross with him”, and erased what was written with his blood. He took away from the demons the power they had hitherto had over men and left them defeated and confused by his great victory. May fear and horror fall on them, Lord, at the fear of your arm. With the diabolical spirits defeated, the kingdom of the Crucified could spread and expand throughout the earth, and the kingdom of sin was dissolved and the power of darkness disappeared before the luminous splendor of the cross. Faith and justice and holiness were opening in the hearts of men, a new era was beginning to blossom in the world. Until the   Gentiles, who knew    God least, gave    testimony of their faith in the Crucified. The soldiers who guarded the condemned, were near the cross, and were    the    first    to publicly    express their faith. Thanks to the blood of Jesus Christ, those who were far away became close. The same thing happened as when he was born: on that occasion he received the adoration and faith of some gentiles who came from the East, and now, while the Jews continued to mock him, the gentiles recognized him as God. When the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God saying: “Truly this man was just”, “he was the Son of God”. And those who were keeping Jesus with him,                           seeing the earthquake and what was happening, they were filled with fear and said: Truly this was the Son of God”. The merit of the Passion of the Lord also reached the Jews. San Lucas says: "And all the people who had come to that show, seeing what was happening, turned around beating their chests." Repentant of their horrible crime, mute and with bowed heads, they left there for the City.

They pierced his side with a spear.

 Despite    the fact that "all the people who had come to   that    show   he turned beating his breast”, the chief priests, still stubborn in their obstinacy, tried again to injure the dead body of the Savior, in the same way that they had done while he lived, and, as always, hiding their wickedness under the disguise of piety and religion. There was a law in Deuteronomy that said: "Cursed by God is he who hangs on the cross, and in no way should he pollute the land that God, your Lord, has given you to possess", it was commanded in this law that the dead body was buried the same day. "The Lord submitted to this curse so that we might attain the blessing." The priests wanted to fulfill the Law by burying him that same day. In addition, there was another reason, and that was that the next day was Saturday, a particularly solemn day, since it was Saturday and the first day of Easter, and that day was called “sacred”. “As it was the day of preparation for Easter, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on Saturday -because that Saturday was very solemn-,   the Jews begged Pilate to break their legs and send them away.” Being this Saturday so solemn, it was not convenient for the bodies to remain hanging on the    cross    because   he took the brilliance out of the party, and the earth was polluted with his presence. People distracted themselves from the party by talking about the crucified if they were still there. And since many had come to Jerusalem, and each one spoke according to his opinion of the death of Jesus, which had been accompanied by such prodigious signs, the priests preferred that no one speak. They commented on how the people had returned from Golgotha ​​upset and frightened, they said that the soldiers had believed in Him as the Son of God, and that made the priests and scribes furious, who wanted even the name of Jesus to be forgotten. They would have wanted to bury the memory of him along with his body,

and that no one should remember him anymore. For these reasons, they asked that he be buried even before they thought he was dead, and so, under the guise of sanctity, they told Pilate that out of respect for the feast he should have the dead removed. The Romans let those executed die on the cross and, dead, they remained there for the birds of prey to feed on. But the Jews were forbidden by law; and Pilate ordered them to go and break their legs to shorten their lives. Nor was this new torture unusual in Roman custom, sometimes they applied it, breaking the thighs and legs of the crucified with mace blows. The priests    made no    distinction in asking for this between Jesus and the                              two other    condemned, for all they requested the same; they continued in their same idea of ​​considering the Lord as an evildoer, as someone equal to or worse than the thieves who suffered with Him.

 

LA PASION DEL SEÑOR. PADRE LA PALMA

 
“Consummatum est”

El Señor fue enviado al mundo con dos encargos: hacer de Maestro y de Redentor, que enseñase a los hombres y les redimiese. Y Jesús cumplió las dos cosas hasta el final y las hizo perfectamente. En la cena de la noche anterior, mientras hablaba con sus apóstoles, dijo a su Padre: “Yo   te he glorificado   en la tierra llevando a cabo la obra   que   me encomendaste realizar. Ahora, Padre, glorifícame tú junto a ti, con la gloria que tenía a tu lado antes que el mundo fuese. He manifestado tu Nombre a los que me has dado”. Y cuando iba a padecer, dijo a los suyos: “Mirad que subimos a Jerusalén, y se cumplirá todo lo que los profetas escribieron del Hijo del hombre”. Eso les dice: Subimos a Jerusalén y allí “todo se cumplirá”, se cumplirá hasta la última letra que han escrito los profetas sobre Mí. Por eso, palabras que casi al final dijo en la cruz, indican claramente que de verdad estaba todo ya cumplido. Camino de Jerusalén había dicho “se cumplirá”, en futuro, pero ahora ya podía decir: “se ha cumplido”, porque todo había pasado ya. Todo, su encargo de enseñar a los hombres y su maravillosa obra de redención. En la cruz se cumplió todo, para que los escogidos de Dios supieran que en la cruz está “la fuerza y la sabiduría divinas”, y la perfección y plenitud de todas las cosas. Lo que es enigma para el hombre, lo que es oscuro, lo que es “escándalo para los judíos y locura para los gentiles” es omnipotencia para Dios.

Todo está acabado, he bebido ya el cáliz de mi Pasión, hasta el fondo, sin dejar ni una gota en él. Se han cumplido las profecías y se ha iluminado todo, aclarándose en Mí todo el sentido de la Escritura. He pagado ya la deuda que había por los pecadores, y les he comprado por su justo precio la gloria. Ya se ha firmado la paz entre Dios y los hombres. Terminó la pelea contra el pecado y el infierno, Yo he vencido. Termina mi vida en esta tierra, y comienza el triunfo de mi gloria: “todo se ha terminado”. Palabras   misteriosas   que   encierran   todo   lo   que   Jesucristo   realizó   para   nuestra redención. Sólo sabe bien su sentido el que dijo, porque sólo En las realizó. Esta fue la feliz y alegre noticia que nos dio desde la cruz el que, por medio de ella, nos conquistó ese premio. Debemos ponernos al pie de la cruz, para llegar a conocer mejor la verdad de este misterio y este gran beneficio. En la presencia del Señor, y ayudados de su gracia, ponderaremos   lo   grande   que   fue la deuda  que Adán transmitió  a sus hijos, al desobedecer a Dios. Por ser nuestro padre, estaba obligado a pagar la deuda, pero ni él ni nosotros pudimos pagar ni siquiera juntando todo nuestro capital. Cada día se añadían   nuevas   deudas   a   las   anteriores   aún   sin   pagar, los   hombres   pecaban voluntariamente, y aumentaban la deuda. Los hombres, perseguidos por la Justicia divina, no podían liberarse de su obligación, asustados de oír solamente el nombre de justicia. ¡Qué espectáculo más triste y desolador! Producía compasión ver al hombre pecador tan castigado, deudor errante de su Señor. En cuanto moría, los demonios estaban preparados para quitarle el alma y llevarla al infierno, y que pagase allí su deuda por entero. Pero no era posible terminar de pagar, era necesario, por tanto, que las penas fueran eternas. Pero el Señor es misericordioso, lleno de compasión, bajó del cielo para saldar nuestra obligación, “a pagar lo que no había robado”. Se puso en la cruz y, con el precio de su sangre, pagó nuestras deudas. Compró las facturas de nuestras deudas y, con ellas, se convirtió en nuestro Señor; y este Señor nos dejó ir libres, rompió los papeles de las deudas y nos perdonó del todo. Además, quitó al demonio el derecho que tenía sobre nosotros, “canceló la nota de cargo que había contra nosotros, la de las prescripciones con sus cláusulas desfavorables, y la suprimió clavándola en la cruz”. Y no quiso irse del mundo sin darnos antes la noticia, la buena noticia de nuestra redención y libertad: “Todo se ha cumplido”. Ya he pagado vuestra deuda, quedáis libres. Fue tan generosa su redención, pagó tan excesivamente por nuestra deuda, que no sólo bastó para dejar saldada la deuda y librarnos del infierno, sino que incluso nos consiguió la vida eterna, y aún sobró. La Pasión del Señor mereció la gloria para todos, y lo que nuestros solitarios sufrimientos no conseguían pagar, luego, juntos a los pies de Cristo, se hacen también justo precio de nuestras propias deudas. Por eso dijo el Señor al morir: Ya está pagado. Con estas palabras, el hombre, pobre como era, quedó enriquecido con la misericordia de Dios; el que antes temblaba como deudor con sólo oír la palabra justicia, ahora puede pedir a Dios, como Justo juez, “el premio, como un atleta que ha competido según el reglamento”; puede presentarse ante el tribunal de Dios y exigir con seguridad, porque las palabras de Jesucristo avalan su petición: “Todo está pagado. Consummatum est”. El Señor dio gratuitamente el perdón de los pecados, la fuerza para conseguir la vida eterna, y le costó sangre, le costó la vida. Se firmaron para siempre las paces. Los hombres con sus pecados desobedecían a Dios y no cumplían sus mandatos. Era realmente una situación miserable porque, ¿cómo puede el hombre esconderse de Dios y huir de El para evitar su justicia? Nadie podía hacerse amigo de Dios, nadie tenía paz consigo mismo, ¿cómo iba a tenerla si estaba en guerra con Dios? No había remedio ni consuelo para el hombre, ¿quién había que pudiera hacer de mediador entre el Señor y los hombres y alcanzase de El el perdón? No había nadie. Por otro lado, no se puede hacer la paz si no hay satisfacción de los agravios hechos, y cumpliendo la palabra de no agraviar más al contrario. Pero el hombre, solo, era tan pobre y tan débil, que no tenía poder para satisfacer los agravios hechos ni fuerza para no volver a caer en nuevas ofensas. Esta es la causa por la que no se podía hacer la paz entre Dios y el hombre. Y la guerra, siendo Dios un enemigo tan poderoso, era siempre en detrimento del hombre, y lo era tanto, que la pena inferida al vencido era la muerte eterna. ¡Qué corazón tan piadoso tiene Dios! En esta situación tan angustiosa, ayudó y salvó al hombre enviándole el Mediador que le faltaba. Cristo Jesús fue el que convenía a los hombres, y el que convenía a Dios, porque era hombre, y era Dios. En El, dice San Pablo, “decidió   que   estuviese   la   plenitud   de   la   divinidad.   Por   Él   quiso   reconciliar consigo mismo todas las cosas, hizo las paces entre los cielos y la tierra por medio de la sangre que derramó en la cruz”. Estaba el “Príncipe de la paz” clavado en la cruz, y levantado en alto entre el cielo y la tierra, asegurando las capitulaciones de paz para que fuera firme y segura y eterna. No trataba con Dios este asunto como lo hacemos los hombres, que hablamos con Dios sólo por fe, sino que Jesús hablaba con El viéndole cara a cara, y toda la corte del cielo estaba presente a las estipulaciones de paz entre su Rey y el Padre Eterno. Jesús ofrecía por parte de los hombres su Sangre y su Vida, con eso pagaba sus deudas y satisfacía las injurias que habían hecho a Dios; pedía la paz “con fuertes gritos y lágrimas”. Y Dios le oyó, no sólo por el inmenso pago que ofrecía, sino por la humildad con que lo pedía y por el amor que tenía el Padre a su Hijo. Así Dios accedió a reconciliarse y hacer la paz con los hombres, y se obligó a mantener la paz y amistad para   siempre.   Terminado   este   acuerdo, el   Señor   dijo:   Ya   está   pagado, ya   está concluido, ya está hecha la paz. Consummatum est. Al morir el Señor en la cruz, se hizo “autor y consumador de nuestra fe”. En la cruz realizó las principales cosas en las que creemos, y dio firmeza a las que esperamos; nos allanó el camino para alcanzar las cosas de arriba, y nos animó a dejar por El estas cosas de abajo. En la cruz se encuentran y se hacen realidad todas las promesas de Dios. “Todas las promesas de Dios, en El son el sí”. Todas las promesas hechas por Dios han tenido en Jesucristo el sí de su cumplimiento, todo se ha realizado en El; “por eso decimos, gracias a El, Amén a la gloria de Dios”. La Ley no pudo “llevar ninguna cosa a su debida perfección”, porque estaba llena de ceremonias estériles y vacías, pero “el Señor, con sólo su sacrificio, terminó y perfeccionó para siempre a los que iban a ser santos”, y a todas estas cosas se refirió cuando dijo: “Todo está terminado”. Todo es ya perfecto, lo he cumplido todo.  He llevado hasta  el  final lo  que  había dispuesto la eterna sabiduría, he pagado lo que pedía su justicia, y todo ha sido hecho en favor del hombre, porque Dios es piadoso y está lleno de misericordia. Ya se ha cumplido todo lo que se prometió a los patriarcas, lo que anunciaron los profetas, ya están claras y llenas de sentido todas las imágenes y todos los símbolos y figuras que habían escrito sobre Mí. Todo está hecho. Ya os he enseñado todo para que dejéis vuestra ignorancia, para que seáis fuertes y corrijáis vuestros errores. Os he dado todo el remedio para curar vuestros males. No falta nada de lo que necesitan los tibios para hacerse fervorosos y fuertes; para curar a los enfermos y evitar las enfermedades a los sanos; nada falta para vuestro consuelo, para que seáis santos y dejéis ya el pecado. He vencido al mundo, ahora podéis ya triunfar sobre el demonio porque “todo está terminado”. Para conseguir que estas palabras pudieran ser verdad, el Señor padeció con entereza muchos dolores, estuvo más de tres horas colgado en la cruz, y sus enemigos le pedían que bajase para demostrarles que era Hijo de Dios, y se burlaban de Él porque no se bajaba, pero El perseveró en la cruz. ¿Cómo no se daban cuenta de que no es de Dios empezar las cosas y no terminarlas? Había empezado nuestra Redención, se había comprometido, aunque fuese necesario dar la vida, y la dio entera. Acabó la vida y acabó la Redención, por las dos cosas dijo: “Todo ha terminado”

Con lo que hizo, podemos   aprender a no desistir ni volvernos   atrás de nada que hayamos   empezado, si   era   para   gloria   de   Dios.   Por   muchas   dificultades   que   se presenten, por muchos inconvenientes que nos pongan, no debemos nunca volvernos atrás, no sea que digan de nosotros aquello de: “Este hombre empezó a edificar y no pudo terminar”.   Ha   sido inútil   todo su trabajo, porque   la casa   está sin   terminar. Perseveremos con firmeza en la cruz, “corramos con fortaleza la prueba que se nos propone, fijos los ojos en Jesús, el que inicia y perfecciona la fe, el que soportó la cruz sin miedo a esa ignominia, y ahora está sentado a la derecha de Dios”. Con mucha frecuencia, como nos aconseja San Pablo, debemos considerar el ejemplo de nuestro Señor: “¡Fijaos en aquel que soportó tal contradicción de parte de los pecadores, para que no desfallezcáis perdidas vuestras fuerzas! Todavía no habéis resistido hasta llegar a la sangre en vuestra lucha contra el pecado”. Nos conviene luchar y hasta derramar sangre, morir por la justicia y ser fieles “hasta la muerte si queremos conseguir la corona de la vida”. No debemos huir de la cruz, sino perseverar en ella hasta que se cumpla del todo en   nosotros la voluntad de Dios. Debemos aprender de Jesús que perseveró hasta poder decir: “Todo está terminado”. Todas las contrariedades y las penas terminan. Con el tiempo todo acaba. Dios quiere que el dolor de los suyos termine pronto. Lo que al principio puede parecer intolerable, si lo sufrimos un poco, volvemos la cabeza y ya está acabado. Y luego, no nos falta nunca el consuelo del Salvador, Jesús sabe de sufrimientos porque sufrió hasta morir, Él nos entiende y nos dice palabras que alivian y tranquilizan: “Todo ha terminado”. La   Virgen   María   levantó   sus   ojos   de   prisa   al   oír   que   su   Hijo   decía:   “Todo   está terminado”, porque pensó que se le acababa la vida. ¿Qué sentiría al advertir en la cara, ya amarillenta de Jesús, los rasgos de la muerte? ¿Qué sentiría? Le vio con sus labios secos, la nariz afilada, oscurecida aquella hermosa mirada de Jesús. Cayó su cabeza sobre el pecho que respiraba fatigosamente. De golpe, a su Madre se le fueron los brazos para sostenerle su cabeza; pero sólo pudo ser un gesto, sus brazos no llegaban. Cayeron sus brazos, solos, sin poder abrazar a Jesús que moría, y no podía morir con El. Así estaba el corazón de esta Madre, su propio cuerpo desfallecía al ver agonizar el de su Hijo. Su alma, como perdida a sí misma, estaba tan unida a la de su Hijo que moría de dolor con El.De pronto, le vio tomar aliento, hinchó su fuerte pecho, y “dio un fuerte grito”. Aquel grito la hirió en lo hondo del alma, y quedó estremecida. Escuchó atenta, y oyó las últimas palabras de su Hijo: “¡Padre, en tus manos encomiendo mi espíritu!”

“¡Padre, en tus manos encomiendo mi espíritu!”

Poner una cosa en manos de otro es dejarle que disponga a su voluntad y haga lo que quiera con lo que le damos. Si lo que ponemos en manos de otro es algo muy querido y valioso y se lo confiamos, él, por confiarle una cosa tan estimada, se sentirá obligado a cuidarla como si fuese suya. Así solemos hablar con la gente: Dejo en tus manos este asunto.   Mi   vida está   en tus manos.   Mi   suerte está   en   tus   manos.   Creemos obligarles, al decir eso, a que se preocupen de verdad de nosotros, ya que hemos puesto con toda confianza algo muy importante a su cuidado. Y, realmente, si hay seriedad al dar y recibir el encargo, los demás se cuidan de nosotros con todo su interés. Eso suele ocurrir entre nosotros, que mentimos y hacemos las cosas mal, y a veces a propósito. Mucho más razonable y sensato es que confiemos en Dios, que pongamos en sus manos todas nuestras cosas y hasta a nosotros mismos, porque “es santo en todas sus obras, y fiel, y verdadero en todas sus palabras”. ¿Podéis decir si alguien que confió en El fue defraudado? ¿Quién se acercó a El que no fuese atendido? ¿Quién ha fracasado por esperar en El? Todo lo que tenemos es suyo, y nada de lo que ponemos en sus manos lo hemos dejado antes de recibir de El. Por tanto, estamos como obligados a cumplir lo que   San   Pedro   nos dice: “¡Humillaos bajo la   poderosa mano de Dios!” Debemos considerar y creer que es bueno todo lo que hace en nosotros, debemos obedecer y amar lo que dispone sobre nosotros. Es más valiosa esta confianza en Dios cuando estamos sufriendo una contrariedad, cuando nos ha quitado algo que queríamos. En esos momentos, además de confiar en El, debemos considerar y creer que es bueno todo lo que hace en nosotros, debemos obedecer y amar lo que dispone sobre nosotros. Es más valiosa esta confianza en Dios cuando estamos sufriendo una contrariedad, cuando nos ha quitado algo que queríamos. En esos momentos, además de confiar en Él, debemos poner lo que nos queda también en sus manos, para que disponga a su gusto. Con eso manifestamos que “es justo y santo en todo lo que hace”, que, cuando nos aflige, nos ama. Es fiel a nuestro amor y no miente. Nunca debemos huir de sus manos ni quitarle nada que le hayamos dado. Y si la tribulación fuera tan grande que nos   llevara hasta la muerte, aun entonces debemos confiar en   Él, esperar, y no escondernos de su protectora mano. A veces parece que nos amenaza, pero no es así, incluso si morimos es para darnos la Vida. Con esta confianza decía Job: “Aunque me mate, esperaré en El”. Esto mismo nos enseñó el que es Maestro de los hombres en la misma tortura de la cruz. Y no dejó de confiar y alabar a Dios aun en medio de crueles tormentos. Ya antes de empezar su Pasión, nada más entrar en el huerto, puso en manos de Dios su honra y su vida: “Padre, si es posible, pase de Mí este cáliz; pero, si no puede ser, Padre mío, y debo beberlo, que no se haga lo que Yo quiero, sino lo que quieres Tú. Una vez que supo con certeza que su Padre quería que bebiese aquel cáliz de amargura, lo tomó con tanta decisión y obediencia, que Pedro se lo quería impedir, y le reprendió Jesús: “¿Es que no quieres que beba el cáliz que me dio mi Padre?” En una ocasión tan angustiosa como ésta se puso el Señor totalmente en manos de su Padre, y veía su muerte, y la vergüenza que sufriría, y el dolor.  Y   luego, después de   los   terribles azotes, después de estar tres horas clavado en la cruz, aún confía en su Padre que le estaba tratando con tan rigurosa justicia, y entrega su espíritu y lo deja en sus manos. Llamó Padre a Dios antes de sufrir y   le   siguió llamando Padre mientras sufría y después, ya en el borde de la muerte: “Padre, en tus manos encomiendo mi espíritu”. Sabía con seguridad que iba a resucitar al tercer día, que esta victoria le era debida por sus méritos; sin embargo, no quiso tomarse la justicia por su mano, sino que esperó a tomarla de la mano de Dios. Puso su espíritu en las manos de Dios, su fiel depositario, y sabía que, en el plazo señalado, a los tres días, había de volver a animar su cuerpo, ya glorioso e inmortal. Y con esa confianza y seguridad le dijo: “Padre, en tus manos encomiendo mi espíritu”. Las manos de Dios eran el lugar más seguro, en ellas no podría nada la muerte: “El alma de los justos está en manos de Dios, y no les dañará el tormento de la muerte”. Nos aseguró el Señor que las manos de Dios eran el lugar donde depositar nuestra alma, así tranquilizó nuestra mayor preocupación: ahora sabemos qué ha de ser del alma después de la muerte. A todos los hombres les ha preocupado siempre saber qué ha de ser del alma después de la muerte. Eso debe de ser lo que más angustia a los que están a punto de morir, cuando el cuerpo parece que empuja al alma para que salga, y no saben dónde ha de ir su alma. Los que tienen fe, aunque sea un poquito, saben que, donde vaya, allí quedará para siempre. Y esta fe aún angustia más al alma si falta   la confianza en Dios.  No   hay otra salida, solamente   Dios   puede salvar   al hombre. No puede hacer otra cosa sino arrojarse en manos de Dios, confiar en su misericordia, poner su propio destino y su suerte eterna en El, y decir: “Padre, en tus manos encomiendo mi espíritu”. Señala el Evangelio que Jesús dijo esas palabras con un fuerte grito. San Mateo dice: “Jesús, entonces, dando de nuevo un fuerte grito, exhaló el espíritu”. Y San Marcos: “Jesús, entonces, dio un fuerte grito y murió”. Pero solamente San Lucas repite lo que Jesús dijo al morir: “Padre, en tus manos encomiendo mi espíritu”. No gritó sin motivo el Señor; con esa voz potente y fuerte mostró la confianza y seguridad con que moría, el triunfo que conquistaba sobre sus enemigos. Aquel grito fue el grito de un vencedor.

Demostró que era el Señor de la vida y de la muerte, que moría por propia

misma escritura pondera su silencio: “Este es mi siervo escogido, mi amado, en quien se complace mi alma; no se defenderá ni gritará ni oirá nadie su voz”.  Y en otro sitio: “Como el cordero delante del que le trasquila, así estará, mudo y sin abrir la boca”. Estuvo mudo delante de los que le acusaban, habló muy poco y nunca para probar su inocencia, incluso dijo al Pontífice que le preguntaba: “¿Por qué me preguntas a Mí? Pregunta a los que han oído lo que he dicho, ellos lo saben”. No quiso responder en su defensa, solamente dijo lo necesario: que era Hijo de Dios. En cambio, en la cruz habló siete veces, venciendo con gran esfuerzo su dolor y su extenuación. Habló, y no para defenderse, sino para nuestro provecho. Tres veces habló con Dios, y dos de estas veces lo hizo a gritos.  En las otras  cuatro ocasiones se dirigió a los  hombres:  la primera fue con el  ladrón  crucificado, para perdonarle y darle la vida   eterna;   la segunda vez, con su Madre y su discípulo Juan; la tercera vez fue para decir a los circunstantes que tenía sed, que se iba de este mundo y  la sinagoga no le había calmado su sed de amor, y tuvo que beber el único fruto de aquella viña: vinagre; la otra vez se dirigió a la nueva Iglesia, dándole la buena noticia de que todo estaba terminado, y había conseguido su salvación. Fijaos en que de las tres veces que habló con Dios, una fue la primera, otra la última, y la otra en medio: es un ejemplo de cómo debemos recurrir a Dios en toda ocasión, El ha de ser el principio y el fin de nuestras acciones y durante ellas debemos tener también a Dios presente. Dos veces habló a gritos con su Padre Dios, fue para demostrarle cómo tenía el alma encendida de amor, que le hacía gritar desde la cruz. Gritó para que quedáramos seguros de que su oración y su sacrificio habían sido oídos de Dios. A Dios no le hace falta que le hablen a voces, oye el más silencioso deseo del alma. Fue eso lo que le hizo gritar, la fuerza incontenible de su amor, y el deseo de que le oyéramos nosotros. “Yo sé que Dios siempre me oye”, dijo; pero para que nosotros también lo supiésemos quiso decir a voces su oración a Dios. Lo dijo también San Pablo: “en los días de su vida dirigió ruegos y súplicas con gran clamor y lágrimas al que podía salvarle, y fue escuchado por su actitud reverente, y por ser su Hijo”. Y le pedía que su alma no fuera abandonada en el sheol, ni dejara que su cuerpo llegara a corromperse. Y sucedió lo que pedía, lo que estaba ya anunciado simbólicamente en Jonás, que al tercer día fue arrojado de aquel enorme pez que le tragó. Por eso, aun estando a punto de ser tragado por la muerte, dejó su alma en las manos de Dios, seguro de que volvería a su cuerpo al tercer día, y gritó: “¡Padre, en tus manos encomiendo mi espíritu! “Nada más decir esto, Jesús, “nuestra   gloria”, y   por   quien   todos “levantamos   la cabeza”, “inclinó la suya y entregó su espíritu”. Con todo lo que había padecido desde la noche antes, sin descanso, sin comer ni dormir, desangrado, aun así resistió más de tres horas en la cruz; El mismo había dicho: “Tengo poder para dejar mi alma y para tomarla, y nadie me la puede quitar por la fuerza, sino que Yo la dejaré cuando quiera”. A pesar de que sus enemigos “intentaban quitarle la vida”, nadie se la quitó hasta que Él quiso, hasta que se cumplieron las Escrituras. Entregó su alma cuando quiso, cuando dijo: “todo está terminado” y dio el grito encomendándose a su Padre Dios. Murió en pie, como un valiente. Quedó su cuerpo colgado en la cruz, muerto, pero unido siempre con la persona del Hijo de Dios. La cruz sostenía aquel cuerpo sagrado, que representaba para Dios el precio de nuestra salvación. Para los hombres, además es el consuelo de nuestros.

sufrimientos, el ejemplo para nuestra vida, el capitán de nuestra lucha contra el mal, el guía de nuestro caminar, nuestra esperanza, nuestro   amor, la imagen de los elegidos. Es también Jesús muerto en la cruz, el terror de los demonios, el vencedor de la muerte y del pecado, el Santo. Desde la cruz nos enseña, nos reprende, nos anima, nos quiere, como si, después de muerto, aún hablara: “Aun muerto, todavía habla”.

Después de la muerte del Salvador.

Todas las cosas lloraron la muerte de su Señor. Ocurrieron a su muerte   tantos portentos y maravillosos prodigios que quedaba bien clara la fuerza que hasta después de muerto quiso tener escondida. Aquellos brazos estirados violentamente y clavados en   la   cruz   escondían   el   Poder de Dios. Aquella oscuridad que duraba desde el mediodía, desapareció al morir el Señor, y el día se quedó de nuevo claro. El sol descubría otra vez, patente y alto, el maravilloso cuerpo de Jesús, muerto. Por su muerte “amaneció una nueva luz a los que vivían en las sombras y en la tenebrosa región de la muerte”. Volvió la luz sobre la tierra y, una vez muerto el Señor, “tembló la tierra y las rocas se rajaron”. “El velo del Santuario se rasgó en dos, de arriba abajo”. “Y toda la gente que había acudido a este espectáculo, al ver lo que pasaba, se volvieron golpeándose el pecho”. De este modo, todos lloraron la muerte del Señor. Donde primeramente hizo efecto visible la muerte del Señor fue en el Santuario, celebrado por su magnitud y riqueza en todo el mundo, y por su santidad. El Templo era la casa que Dios había escogido para vivir entre los hombres y oír sus oraciones. Pero allí: “el velo se rasgó de arriba abajo” al morir el Señor. En el Templo había un lugar que se llamaba santo y otro más escondido que se llamaba el santo de los santos. El atrio del lugar santo se dividía con un velo que colgaba de arriba abajo; y, con un segundo velo, se separaba el lugar santo del santo de los santos. En el lugar santo estaba la mesa de los panes llamados de la proposición, el altar de los sacrificios y el candelabro de los siete brazos. En el santo de los santos estaba el incensario de oro, y el arca del testamento, toda cubierta también de oro; en el arca había una urna de oro conteniendo maná con el que había Dios alimentado a los judíos en el desierto, y también la vara de Aarón, la que floreció ante Dios como señal de elección divina. Por último, en el arca se conservaban las tablas de la Ley que recibió Moisés de parte de Dios. Sobre el arca, dos querubines de oro que se miraban y cubrían con sus alas la mesa de los panes de la proposición. El Templo estaba construido de tal modo que por el atrio se entraba al lugar santo, y del lugar santo se pasaba al santo de los santos. El atrio era común para todos los creyentes; en el santo sólo podían entrar los sacerdotes para ofrecer los sacrificios de cada día, pero en el lugar de los santos únicamente entraba el sumo sacerdote, y una vez nada más al año, la vez que entraba el sumo sacerdote ofrecía a Dios la sangre de una víctima, derramándola, por sí mismo y por las culpas de todo el pueblo. Entonces, cuando murió el Señor, dice el Evangelio, se rasgó de arriba abajo el velo que separaba el lugar santo del santo de los santos. Esta fue la señal más grande que ocurrió después de la muerte del Señor, mucho más misteriosa que el eclipse, el temblor de tierra y el quebrarse de las piedras. Los judíos, incrédulos, podían atribuir el terremoto, y el eclipse de sol a causas naturales, pero el rasgarse del velo no era natural de ningún modo, sino una señal divina para ellos. Con este gesto, Dios se retiró del santo de los santos; quitando el velo, hizo saber que El ya no estaba y que nada había que guardar en lo secreto: el Templo quedó vacío.

No hacían falta velos, no hacían falta imágenes para hablar de la verdad: la Verdad estaba allí, a la vista de todos, desnudo. Ya el santo de los santos se convirtió en un lugar cualquiera, porque el verdadero santo de los santos estaba ahora en el Calvario, donde estaba también la verdadera arca de la alianza, que encerraba todos los tesoros de Dios, la verdadera Víctima de la propiciación divina. “En Cristo estaba Dios reconciliando el mundo consigo mismo”. La vara de Aarón había sido sustituida por el árbol de la cruz. Las tablas de la Ley habían sido superadas y perfeccionadas por el mandamiento nuevo de Jesús: el amor. El maná quedaba ya sólo como un recuerdo, el verdadero Maná era el Cuerpo y Sangre de Jesucristo, verdadero alimento de suavidad y fortaleza para los que peregrinan por el mundo. Todas aquellas figuras habían sido sustituidas por la Luz y la Verdad. Estaban también ocultas, escondidas, pero el Señor no se ocultaba, estaba puesto en alto, desnudo y estirado en la cruz, para que muy despacio le miremos, y le volvamos a mirar. Estando levantado de la tierra, como lo había dicho, con la fuerza de su amor atrajo todas las cosas hacia sí mismo y, por eso, la sinagoga quedó vacía, y su Templo como una casa desierta y sin dueño. El santo de los santos había significado hasta entonces el reino de los cielos, que es el lugar, escondido a los ojos de los hombres, donde vive Dios. Solamente podía entrar el Sumo Sacerdote, y una sola vez al año, “de esta manera daba a entender el Espíritu Santo que aún no   estaba abierto el camino de la gloria mientras subsistiera el tabernáculo antiguo”. “Pero se presentó Cristo, como Sumo Sacerdote de los bienes futuros, a través de un tabernáculo mayor y más perfecto, no fabricado por manos humanas, es decir, no de este mundo. Y penetró en el santuario una vez para siempre, no   con   sangre   de   machos   cabríos   ni   de   novillos, sino con su propia sangre, consiguiendo la redención   eterna”.   Por esta razón se   rompió   el velo del Templo, mostrando así que ya quedaba abierto el camino del cielo. Todas estas señales fueron de gran consuelo y alegría para los que creían en Jesús crucificado; sin embargo, para los incrédulos judíos fue una señal que les llenó de temor y espanto. No sería de extrañar que, aun así, muchos no creyeran. Otros sí, otros vieron en ese signo la ira e indignación de Dios, advirtieron que su Templo, del que tanto se habían enorgullecido, se   había   desgarrado   sus   mismas   vestiduras doliéndose de la muerte del Redentor, y ellos también tuvieron por inútiles sus mismas vestiduras y se arrepintieron de su anterior maldad. Mientras ocurría esto en el Templo, fuera tembló la tierra sacudida por un terremoto, y las piedras se quebraron. La misma tierra reconoció a su Creador, y se alegró al ver cómo triunfaba sobre sus enemigos. “Cuando Tú, Señor, salías guiando tu pueblo y pasabas por el desierto, la tierra se movió”. “Los montes saltaron como cabritos, y los collados como si fueran corderitos. Ante Dios se movió la tierra”: estas cosas ocurrieron cuando Yavé sacó a los israelitas de su esclavitud y ahogó a sus enemigos los egipcios en el Mar Rojo. Si Dios hizo ese portento para su pueblo elegido, que tantas veces le fue infiel, con más razón lo haría para honrar a su querido Hijo, que siempre le había sido fiel. Hasta la tierra reconocía que su Hacedor triunfaba del pecado, del infierno y de la muerte. Rescató a su pueblo de la esclavitud del pecado, y “le iba guiando con su misericordia”, sosteniéndole con su fortaleza por el desierto camino de la cruz, hasta ponerle, ya libre, en la Tierra Prometida de los cielos. Hasta las duras rocas se quebraron llorando la muerte del Salvador; condenaban así otra dureza, la de la incredulidad de aquellos judíos. Las rocas se rompían, pero ellos seguían inconmovibles sin reconocer ni llorar su pecado. El infierno se estremeció, la muerte tembló al verse tan cerca de la vida, vencida y derrotada para siempre. “La muerte fue devorada por la victoria. ¡Muerte!, ¿dónde está tu victoria? ¡Muerte!, ¿dónde está tu aguijón?” El Señor se burló de ella, cuando pensó

prenderle, ella quedó presa; la levantó a lo alto de la cruz y la despeñó para siempre. La muerte murió absorbida por la vida, así se cumplió lo profetizado: “¡Muerte! ¡Yo seré tu muerte! “Tembló el infierno y todos sus demonios porque, como dice San Pablo: “El Salvador les quitó de las manos la escritura de condenación que tenían contra los hombres, y la clavó consigo en la cruz”, y borró lo escrito con su sangre. Quitó a los demonios el poder que hasta entonces tenían sobre los hombres y los dejó derrotados y confusos de su gran victoria. “Caiga, Señor, sobre ellos el temor y el espanto ante el temor de tu brazo”. Vencidos los espíritus diabólicos, pudo extenderse y dilatarse por toda la tierra el reino del Crucificado, y se deshizo el reino del pecado y el poder de las tinieblas desapareció ante el luminoso resplandor de la cruz. Se abría en los corazones de los hombres la fe y la justicia y la santidad, empezaba a florecer una nueva era en el mundo. Hasta los   gentiles, que menos conocían   a Dios, dieron   testimonio de su fe en el Crucificado. Los soldados que guardaban a los condenados, estaban cerca de la cruz, y fueron   los   primeros   en   manifestar   públicamente   su   fe.   Gracias   a   la   sangre   de Jesucristo, los que estaban lejos llegaron a estar cerca. Ocurrió lo mismo que cuando nació: en aquella ocasión recibió la adoración y la fe de unos gentiles que vinieron de Oriente, y ahora, mientras los judíos seguían burlándose de Él, los gentiles le reconocieron como Dios. Al ver el centurión lo sucedido glorificaba a Dios diciendo: “Verdaderamente este hombre era justo”, “era Hijo de Dios”. “Y los que con él estaban guardando a Jesús, al   ver el terremoto y lo que pasaba, se llenaron de miedo y dijeron: Verdaderamente éste era Hijo de Dios”. También alcanzó a los judíos el mérito de la Pasión del Señor. Dice San Lucas: “Y toda la gente que había acudido a aquel espectáculo, al ver lo que pasaba, se volvieron golpeándose el pecho”. Arrepentidos de su horrible delito, mudos y con la cabeza baja, se marcharon de allí camino de la Ciudad.

Atravesaron su costado con una lanza.

 A   pesar de que “toda la gente que había acudido a  aquel   espectáculo   se volvió golpeándose el pecho”, los sacerdotes principales, todavía porfiados en su obstinación, trataron de nuevo de injuriar el cuerpo muerto del Salvador, de la misma manera que lo habían hecho mientras vivía, y, como siempre, ocultando su maldad bajo el disfraz de la piedad y la religión. Había una ley en el Deuteronomio que decía así: “Es maldito de Dios el que cuelga de la cruz, y de ninguna manera debe contaminar la tierra que Dios, tu Señor, te ha dado en posesión”, se mandaba en esta ley que el cuerpo muerto fuese sepultado el mismo día. “Se sometió el Señor a esta maldición para que nosotros alcanzáramos la bendición”. Los sacerdotes quisieron cumplir la Ley sepultándole aquel mismo día. Además, había otra razón, y era que al día siguiente era sábado, un día especialmente solemne, por ser sábado y primer día de Pascua, y ese día se llamaba “sagrado”. “Como era el día de la preparación de la Pascua, para que no quedasen los cuerpos en la cruz el sábado -porque aquel sábado era muy solemne-,   los judíos rogaron a Pilatos que les quebrara las piernas y los retiraran”. Siendo este sábado tan solemne no convenía que los cuerpos se quedaran colgados en la   cruz   porque   quitaba brillantez a la fiesta, y se contaminaba la tierra con su presencia. La gente se distraía de la fiesta hablando de los crucificados si seguían allí. Y como habían venido muchos a Jerusalén, y cada uno hablaba según su parecer de la muerte de Jesús, a la que habían acompañado señales tan prodigiosas, preferían los sacerdotes que no se hablara. Comentaban cómo la gente se había vuelto del Gólgota compungida y asustada, decían que los soldados habían creído en El cómo Hijo de Dios, y eso hacía enfurecer a los sacerdotes y escribas, que querían que se olvidara hasta el nombre de Jesús. Hubieran querido sepultar su recuerdo junto con el cuerpo,

y que nadie se acordase ya de Él. Por estas razones, pidieron que se le sepultara aun antes de que ellos pensaran que estuviera muerto, y así, so capa de santidad, dijeron a Pilatos que por respeto a la fiesta mandara retirar los muertos. Los romanos dejaban morir a los ajusticiados en la cruz y, muertos, seguían allí para pasto de las aves de rapiña. Pero a los judíos se lo prohibía la ley; y mandó Pilatos que fueran a quebrarles las piernas para abreviarles la vida. No era tampoco desusado este nuevo tormento en la costumbre romana, a veces lo aplicaban, rompiendo a golpes de maza los muslos y las piernas de los crucificados. No   hicieron   distinción   los   sacerdotes   al   pedir   eso   entre   Jesús   y   los   otros   dos condenados, para todos pidieron lo mismo; seguían en su misma idea de considerar al Señor como un malhechor, como alguien igual o peor que los ladrones que sufrieron con El.