Blessed Lent to you my brothers and sisters in Christ! It is my hope that all of you are having a good Lent this far into Lent. Let us all keep steadfast in the faith, let us all remain faithful to Christ our Lord, and let us continue to reject the demons, and keep following the LORD. Do not fall to weakness brothers and sisters, but rely on the power of God to deliver you out of temptation, out of fear, and out of sin. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all ways, submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

One of the very important prayers that Roman Catholic Christians pray either before receiving the Holy Eucharist or after receiving it is called the Anima Christi. In this prayer, there is a petition to Christ that is this: "Passion of Christ, strengthen me." The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ is when he endured the very extremities of pain, suffering, and death itself, on the emotional, physical, and mental levels, just to destroy the powers of sin, death, and the demons, and give us the way to communion with God. The Passion of Christ is a very strong source of strength in our Christian lives, and so that is why in the Anima Christi, Catholics ask this petition. For we Christians are all called to be Christ-like, and in Christ's Passion, Christ himself endured so much extreme pain, physically, mentally, and emotionally, but he still accomplished his saving work, of salvation of the entire world, freedom from the bondage of sin, and freedom from the fear of death itself. Christ himself relied entirely on the power of God to complete his saving work. And we too are called to imitate Christ himself during his Holy Passion. That is why Catholics pray "Passion of Christ, strengthen me."

Continuing on the Passion of the Christ, it is also the great and deep mystery that God has revealed to us. For the purpose of redeeming us sinners from the fear of death, the bondage of sin, and the chains of the devil, it had to happen this way. There was no other way except by Christ's Passion. Thus, the great Love of God is communicated clearly and directly through Christ's Passion. For God became man, so that man might become God, for God wants all of humanity to be in deep, loving communion with himself. In order to have that happen, The God of the Universe offered himself to die as a truly sinless sacrifice, taking upon all the sin of the world, and destroying death by his death, and destroying sin in the process, and freeing us from the grip of the devil by his resurrection. But it had to happen by Christ's Passion, but God chose to do it anyway, for he truly does love all of humanity.

One of the best deceptions of Christ's Passion is the film, The Passion of the Christ. This film literally communicates the power and saving Grace of God, The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. It is very intense, but it is the most accurate depiction in film at the time of writing. Watch it, see how much God loved us, and allow it to really transform your heart. Here it is with English subtitles, but know that it is extremely intense, so prepare yourself:
The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ and his Resurrection has redeemed us to be able to have the Grace of God always, because of God's mercy communicated during Christ's Passion. Thank the LORD our God for redeeming us, showing infinite compassion and mercy to us, and freeing us from the bondage of Satan himself. Always keep the Passion in your heart always, remember it always, and allow it to help you love others even more as Christ himself loved us so much, he sacrificed himself for us. Allow it to strengthen your faith, and allow it to strengthen your battle against the demons.

Have a Blessed Lent my brothers and sisters in Christ. Amen.