The Pascal Mystery
Perhaps the Cross of Jesus has become almost too familiar.
Some of us might see images of crosses and crucifixes so
often, we may not realize that in the ancient world, the
cross was a horrifying image. An ancient Roman wearing a
cross around his neck like jewelry would be like us wearing
a little electric chair around our necks. It would not only be
bizarre; it would be shocking and appalling to the people
around us. Yet the cross is the primary symbol of our faith.
It is through Jesus’s Death on that instrument of torture that
he gave us the gift of salvation and eternal life
We call Jesus’s work of redemption, accomplished princi-
pally through his Passion, Death, Resurrection and Ascen-
sion into Heaven, the Paschal Mystery. The word
Paschal refers to Jesus’s offering of his life as the new
Passover (or Paschal) lamb for our salvation. We express
this in the Mass when we say, “We proclaim your Death, O
Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again.”
Underlying the Paschal mystery is one fundamental reality:
Jesus gives himself completely in love to the Father on our
behalf to restore our relationship with God. And Jesus,
through his Death on the Cross, also reveals to us that we
are all called to the sacrificial love that leads to true happi-
ness here on earth and eternal joy in the next life
Copied from the FORMED website
