He was wounded

It was our guilt that crushed Him down,

on Him the punishment fell that

brought us peace,

by His bruises we were healed.

Strayed sheep all of us, each following his own path, and God laid on His shoulders our guilt, the guilt of us all." (Isaiah 54, 4-12)

Sin had no part in God’s wonderful plan for the human race, as we have seen. But our first parents, Adam and Eve preferred their own self to God. They worshipped their own self instead of God, their Lord and Maker. They brought sin into the world by their disobedience and they planted seeds of sin and disobedience in all of us, their children.

Disobedience brought disaster and death to us human beings. Saint Paul describes how a heroic act of obedience brought back hope to men’s hearts. He shows the contrast between Christ and Adam – how Christ repaired the damage done by Adam:

“Why did Christ, in His own appointed time, undergo death for us sinners, while we were still powerless to help ourselves? It is hard enough to find anyone who will die on behalf of a just man, although perhaps there may be those who will face death for one so deserving. But here, as if God meant to prove how well He loves us, it was while we were still sinners that Christ, in His own appointed time died for us. All the more surely, then, now that we have found justification though His blood, shall we be saved, through Him, from God’s displeasure?

“Enemies of God, we were reconciled to Him through His Son’s death; reconciled to Him we are surer than ever of finding salvation in His Son’s life. And what is more, we can boast of God’s protection always through our Lord Jesus Christ, since it is though Him that we have gained our reconciliation.

“Well, then one man (Adam) commits a fault, and it brings condemnation upon all; one man (Christ) makes amends, and it brings to all justification, that is, life. A multitude will become acceptable to God through one man’s obedience, just as a multitude, through one man’s disobedience, became guilty. The law intervened, only to amplify our fault; but, as our fault was amplified, grace has been more amply bestowed than ever; so that, where guilt held its reign of death, justifying grace should reign instead, to bring us eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5, 6-11 and 11-21)

THE VICTORY OF EVIL

It is necessary now to tell a shocking story. It is in fact, the most horrible story ever told and it is not only a story; it is history. It is the shameful suffering and death of Christ.