Name: Father Christopher J. Rossman
A Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in KS currently assigned as the Associate Pastor of Prince of Peace parish in Olathe, KS.
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November 2005
These last moments of Jesus' life begin the first moments of our life...eternal life. His death brings us everlasting life:
The soldiers step back to admire their handiwork. I cannot move I can barely breath. My mouth is so dry that I cannot even cry out in pain. I can feel the heat of the midday sun on me. It feels like a thousand needles burning into my body as its rays touch my skin. It is absolute agony to move even an inch. Each wound stings with sharp pain as my sweat seeps into the gashes. I can feel blood flowing down my arms and legs as it collects on the ground below me.
Raising my head slightly I see my mother and the disciple John standing a few feet away. The soldiers are too busy dividing up my clothes to even notice them. My mother will need someone to help her through these coming days of emotional torture. John is such a loving and gentle man. With great struggle I say, "Woman, there is your son..." Looking to John I rasp, "...there is your mother." I see John take her into his arms as they move back partway down the hill.
I feel as if I am being crushed with each breath. Simply taking a breath means I have to push with my feet so my body is lifted up enough for my lungs to inhale. I can feel the nails as they continue to tear my flesh but the bones of my hands and feet prevent me from moving more than an inch.
For the first time I see two men on crosses with me; one on each side. With great pain I turn my head to the left. The man glares at me with anger and hatred in his eyes. He shouts out to me, "If you are the Christ then save us. Bring us down off these crosses..." and with sarcasm "IF you are the Christ." The other man, however, responds to him, "Do you not fear God even as we are dying here. We deserve to die because of what evil acts we did but this man did nothing wrong." Then, looking at me he rasps, "Jesus, I believe your ARE the Christ. Remember me when you enter your kingdom." By this man's truthfulness and kind words to me his soul is saved. Hoarsly I reply, "This day you will be with me in paradise."
In the past few minutes it has gotten dark even though its just coming on three o'clock. There are storm clouds overhead and a sharp wind has come up. The wind, instead of cooling me, burns my wounds as it blows onto them. I am so weak from the loss of blood. I am beginning to get lightheaded as I cannot get enough air to breathe. I can only take a short breath a couple of times a minute because it is simply too hard to lift my body anymore. My throat is burning and I see a guard below. I groan to him, "I thirst." He laughs jeeringly and puts a sponge onto a stick. He shoves it up to my face. As my lips touch it he pulls it away with an wicked snicker.
I gasp to take another breath. My body begins to shudder as it shuts down from lack of air. Taking in as much air as I can I shout out, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit" The world begins to fade to black as I wheeze one last time, "It is finished."
