Easter Special

Bishop A Peter Abir

Slaughtered, Yet Standing!

Pope Francis emphatically noted: “Today the Church is a Church of  artyrs. Christians are persecuted” (Homily 30 June 2014). However, for us Christians, our Lord Jesus Christ is the first martyr, of course, of a different kind. John the Seer writes: “Then I saw… a Lamb standing as though it had been slaughtered- ?σφαγμ?νον” (Rev 5:6). This paradox, slain, yet standing, is one of the most profound Christological images in the New Testament and which shows Jesus a martyr of His own. It unites Golgotha and Easter, victimhood and victory, sacrifice, and sovereignty. In a single vision, the
Church beholds the mystery of the Cross transfigured by the Resurrection.