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The crucifixion was nothing special.
A few Roman soldiers, assigned to keep order, finish off the condemned, and make sure no one caused trouble. For Longinus, it was another grim duty in a long military career. He had seen men die before.
That Friday afternoon outside Jerusalem, the three men on the crosses were like any others—except for the one in the middle. He had been scourged nearly to death before he even got to Golgotha, and yet, unlike the others, he said nothing against his tormentors. Instead, he prayed for them.
Longinus was close enough to hear Him speak.
At about the ninth hour, the man—Jesus of Nazareth—gave a loud cry and breathed His last. Immediately, the sky, which had been dark for hours, seemed to shudder. The earth beneath them split open.
The crowd was terrified into silence. Even Longinus and the other Roman soldiers, for whom this day was supposed to be another day on the job, were shaking.
His orders were clear. To confirm the prisoner’s death, he was to pierce the man’s side with his lance. A routine action. A soldier’s job. He thrust the spear under Jesus’ ribs, and something astounding happened…
Blood and water flowed from the wound—an unnatural, distinct separation of fluids. But more than that, as the blood touched him, something changed.
Longinus had been going blind for years, a slow, creeping condition that no doctor or priest had been able to cure. He had accepted it, fought through it, learned to work around it. But now, in an instant, his sight was restored. He blinked hard, staggered back. His men saw the shock on his face, the way his entire posture changed.
And then he said it.
“Truly, this man was the Son of God.”
After that day, Longinus left the army. The Gospels do not tell us what happened to him, but early Christian tradition does. He sought out the apostles and became a follower of Christ. Eventually, he went to Cappadocia, where he preached until the Roman authorities arrested him for abandoning the army and spreading the Gospel.
He was tortured, ordered to renounce Christ, and when he refused, he was executed. The same lance that had opened Christ’s side would later be venerated as a relic, and Longinus himself would be named a saint.
The soldier who pierced the side of Jesus was the first to publicly proclaim Him the Son of God after His death.
Our Lord’s Crucifixion changed everything for Longinus. From that day forward, the image of Christ dead on the cross, side pierced from his own spear, was always at the forefront of his mind.
Our own lives were entirely changed that day as well. Like Longinus, the blood that spilled from Christ’s side was also caused by our own weapons, our sins piercing the side of the Lord. Like Longinus, we should always keep the image of Christ Crucified with us wherever we go.
This small Bethlehem Olive Wood & Stone Crucifix is the perfect way to meditate on the crucifixion of Our Lord. Its delicate size makes it easy to bring with you wherever you go. Set it on a desk, your dashboard, or your bedside table, and it will remind you of Our Lord’s sacrifice.
Order yours this Lent from The Catholic Company!
