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Page:Completecatechis00deharich.djvu/40

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the Son of God.' Thus Jesus became 'the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world' (1 John ii. 2).

27. [1]It was on Good Friday, about three o'clock in the afternoon, that Jesus expired. In order to assure themselves that He was dead, one of the soldiers with a spear opened His side, and immediately there came out blood and water. His body was taken down from the cross, and laid in a new sepulchre hewn out in a rock. The Jews sealed it and set a guard before it. But early on the third day, before sunrise, there was a great earthquake, and Christ crucified arose glorious from the sepulchre. During forty days afterwards He often appeared to His Disciples, instructed them concerning the kingdom of God — that is, the Church — gave them power to forgive sins, and installed Peter Head of the Church, with these words: 'Feed my lambs; feed my sheep ' (John xxi. 15, 17). When He appeared for the last time in the midst of the eleven. He commanded them to go into the whole world, to preach the Gospel to all nations, and to baptize them ' in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.' For that purpose He gave them the same power which He had received from His Heavenly Father, and promised to be with them all days, even to the consummation of the world. Finally, on the fortieth day after His Resurrection. He led His Disciples to the Mount of Olives, where He lifted up His hands over them, and, whilst He blessed them, ascended in their sight up to Heaven.

  1. On what day, and at what hour, did Jesus expire? How did they assure themselves of His death? And what resulted from this? What was done with His sacred body? What did His enemies then do? When, and how, did Christ rise to life? How long did He yet remain on earth? What did He do during that time? What did He command His Apostles to do when He appeared the last time among them? What power, and what promise, did He give them? When, where, and how did He ascend into Heaven?