Passiontide

Author: Shepherd F. Yaeger
March 2024



The two-week period leading up to the celebration of Christ's resurrection on Easter Sunday is known as Passiontide. The word Passion derives from the Latin word passio, which means suffering.

We observe these days with meditation and consideration of the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ and all that He endured for our eternal benefit. During this time, we may even contemplate our own suffering due to the many difficulties that we experience in life.

We know that Christ experienced intense pain and sorrow. He experienced emotional and spiritual anguish expressed in His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:41-44). He felt the physical pain inflicted on him by His persecutors. He experienced heartache when those closest to Him betrayed and abandoned Him in His time of suffering. Jesus Christ suffered horrendously as a result of the sinful thoughts, words and deeds of others. 

It may be that we also suffer due to the sinful thoughts, words and deeds of others. How often have we been betrayed, even by those we thought were closest to us?  How many times have we been injured in our body, mind, or even soul because of the sins of others?  

We realize then that Christ has great empathy for our suffering. We can also feel closer to Him when we accept that we may have to suffer significantly because of the sins of others. It is also important to accept that our sins may have become a source of suffering for others. 

Passiontide reminds us not only of the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday but also of His resurrection on Easter Sunday. It inspires us to come closer to Him and align ourselves with His Gospel. We are reminded to be merciful, even to actively pray for our enemies. We are reminded to love all souls and forgive them as Jesus Christ does. He even prayed for those who crucified Him, saying, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:34). Let us use this time of Passiontide to actively try to become more like Jesus Christ in our thoughts, words and deeds.

 

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Passiontide   |    Sharing faith across generations   |    Prayer works   |    Close of the year   |    Christmas   |    Thanksgiving   |    Action de grâces   |    Learning and growing   |    The communion of the Holy Spirit   |    A living faith   |    Pentecost 2023   |    The love of God   |    Passiontide   |    Pillars: Shining for God   |    Older and powerful in Christ   |    Closing of the year   |    Christmas peace   |    Loving gratitude   |    Action de grâces   |    Thanksgiving   |    Back to school   |