Jesus finally meets his fate - crucifixion. Josephus, a first-century historian, called it "the most pitiable of deaths."
it is told in three words - "they crucified him." Jesus shares the spotlight with two criminals. They get more ink than he does.
The sentence of Pilate has been carried out: "They crucified him." It's all over but the dying.
The physical torture Jesus experienced in crucifixion would have been the worst of his entire life. None of the four Gospels describes his pain. Words can only do so much. "They crucified him" is enough.
The cross. It will become the mark of a Christian ... the logo of Christianity ... the symbol that leads every procession ... the sign we make upon ourselves ... the sign parents trace on the face of a sleeping child ... the very first ritual act at Baptism ... the first spoken words at every Mass ... the last words spoken at the grave.
Let there be no Christian home without a cross.
Let not a day pass that you do not look at the cross.
We're nine days away from Good Friday. Now, or sometime today, find a cross. Look at it. Touch it.
- Little Black Book, Diocese of Saginaw