The Celebration of the Lord's Passion at the Cathedral of the Madeleine

Intermountain Catholic

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Bishop Wester at the Celebration of the Lord's Passion in the Cathedral of the Madeleine.

Today, at the Celebration of the Lord's Passion in the Cathedral of the Madeleine, the Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, said in his homily: "As we enter into the sorrow of Good Friday, we remember that it is only a part of the entire Easter mystery. But as we contemplate the taking up of the Cross by Jesus, we are given graces and insights as we bear our own crosses. Jesus chooses to obey the Father, and the Father answers Jesus' prayer of deliverance. Jesus did not escape from death, but he was delivered through the Cross to the Resurrection. Therefore, Jesus offers the perfect sacrifice of obedience on the Cross and accomplishes for our salvation what we could not. We must join to Christ's sacrifice our own suffering and hence be once with Christ, who saves us. We must choose to surrender to God and allow God to give us the strength to live through our pain and through our suffering to new life. Today is a day that reminds us to follow the example of Christ, who trusted in the Father and was led to new life in the Resurrection and thus delivered from suffering. So today, on this Good Friday, we stay with suffering, knowing that it leads to the Resurrection, and as we adore and honor the Cross of Christ, the means of our salvation, we remember once again that it is not an end, but it is the means to an end, an end that is eternal life."