Today, the faithful and pilgrims in Rome had a historic opportunity to venerate a unique relic in St. Peter's Basilica: the so-called Lance of Longinus, known in Christian tradition as the instrument with which the Roman centurion pierced the side of Our Lord Jesus Christ during the crucifixion.
This relic—kept for centuries in the Vatican Basilica—was exceptionally displayed in a liturgical rite that forms part of the Lenten traditions of the Church in Rome, bringing together the faithful, pilgrims, and tourists in prayer and veneration before this sacred object that commemorates a central moment in the mysteries of the Passion of Christ.
The scene narrated in the Gospel of John, where “one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water flowed out,” is a passage deeply meditated upon in the Church, and the display of this relic invited those present to contemplate more closely this act that testifies to the total offering of the Heart of Jesus for our salvation.
corazondepaul