By his strips we were healed

“But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins; upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed.” (IS 53: 5)

Just as we cannot cleanse our sins, only God can, we cannot approach Him without His help. We were broken and full of sins, so God “was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins; upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed.” We depend totally on Him, and He is happy to be our Father and Redeemer.

“Christ became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every other name.” (Gospel Acclamation)