God gave the prophet Isaiah a vision of the future Messiah, who is Jesus. The prophet says: “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.” The same Holy Spirit who revealed the mystery of our salvation in Jesus Christ to the prophet Isaiah has to enlighten the mind of each of us personally, that each of us may realize that Christ was wounded for my sins and bruised for my iniquities. Jesus suffered it all out of His love for me, to pay the just price for my sins and iniquities, and to open for me the way to eternal happiness in heaven. So, we were not redeemed with gold or silver but with the precious Blood of Jesus Christ. Let us also realize that the chastisement for our peace was upon Him.

The centre of our faith and salvation is the cross of Christ and His suffering and death for our sins. God showed His love for each of us when the Father gave His Only Begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Another truth related to the cross concerns His wounds. We enter into these wounds in the spirit seven times a day, as if a ray of light came forth from each of these wounds and united us to the wounds of Jesus. At that moment we repeat the words: “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner.” We are aware that there were many more wounds on the body of Jesus apart from these, but now we mainly think of these five wounds which united Him to the cross and caused death. By these wounds of His, by His stripes, we are healed – we are healed of our mental or spiritual wounds, and many times we are healed even physically. Many people testify that in their illnesses, they entered by faith into these wounds, calling on the name of Jesus, and were miraculously healed.

The Word of God further says: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

Let us realize that it is a sin to turn to our own way and to abandon the way on which God leads us through conscience and God’s laws. Let us repent every day of our self-will, and remember that the Lord has laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all.

It is good to learn these words by heart the very first day when we begin the prayer stop. While learning this Word of life, the Spirit of God will guide us into this truth more deeply, and when we repeat it seven times a day for two weeks, He will enlighten our mind with the light of God and pour out the love of God into our hearts.

Download: Reflection on Isa 53:5-6