Tags
ambush predator, atonement, death, Fr. John Riccardo, Good Friday, Jesus Christ, ransom, sin, triumph
Christ Crucified
Diego Velázquez, c 1632
On this day that Christ died on the cross, we offer you a mediation by Fr. John Riccardo of ACTS XXIX. We found this meditation transformative in our understanding of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. It has given us new insight in how Christ conquered sin and death in a cunning and brilliant way. We pray that you too will find this inspirational.
The Powers of Darkness are Defeated: What Was Jesus Doing on the Cross?[1]
Classically, there are three ways to understand what Jesus was doing on the cross. None of these is exhaustive; together they help us better understand the crucial events of [Holy Week]. In my experience, one of the answers is practically unknown and almost never preached about. And yet it was accentuated over and over again in the preaching of the early Church.
The three ways of understanding what Jesus was doing on the cross are these:
