The kissing of the Altar is a confirmation of this readiness of the priest, who is united with Christ. The priest, by kissing the Altar, professes to God his ”Fiat” – ”Your Will be done” and then begins the Passion of our Lord. From the very beginning of the Holy Mass, we participate in an extraordinary event, – Christ, by embracing further suffering, prepares Himself for the highest Sacrifice. Like a lamb that is cleansed before being sacrificed, in the same way, Christ endures successive sufferings in which His Soul is cleansed from the sins that He consciously accepted for us. He offers every suffering for a different sin, every insult for a different blasphemy. As many sins, so many sufferings are inflicted upon Jesus, who consciously gathers them all in His Heart, as a sacrifice for the sins of humanity. The Body of God becomes the arena for the stunts of the cruelest executioners, under whose figures are hidden all of our sins. For Jesus, tormentors are even diminutive women whom He lifts from their fall, and children who have no moderation in showing off before each other. The entire path of the Passion of the Lord is a preparation for the summit of suffering and ignominy, for the cross.

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Translated from : Tajemnica Mszy świętej według św. Ojca Pio na podstawie Orędzi na Czasy Ostateczne które własnie nadeszły, Grzechynia 2013, p. 19-20 –

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