Jesus' brief life — thirty-three years in total — culminated in Jerusalem. The last events of his life, from the Last Supper to his crucifixion, are known collectively as the Passion. Each stage of the Passion provides an essential element in the fretwork of Catholic belief.

The Passion begins with the Last Supper, a Passover meal that Jesus ate with his apostles. During this meal, Jesus invited his followers to enjoy communion with him forever by literally partaking of his Body and Blood through consecrated bread and wine. Catholics and many Protestant denominations still celebrate this important ceremony, now known as the Eucharist. To Catholics, the Eucharist is the heart of the Mass, or Catholic service of worship.

The Arrest and Crucifixion

After the Last Supper, the apostles left Jesus to a lonely vigil in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he prayed. He was betrayed by Judas. Pontius Pilate's soldiers found Jesus in the garden and arrested him. Jesus was tried and taken to Golgotha with two other men, and they were crucified.

The Crucifixion is also known as the Agony: Jesus died on the cross to atone for our sins. It is also considered a sacrifice: God sacrificed his Son for us. After he died, Jesus' mother and other followers laid his body in a tomb cut in the rock. The tomb was sealed with a large stone.

Resurrection: The Best Miracle of All

The physical resurrection of Jesus Christ is fundamental to Catholic and all Christian belief. Resurrection is literally a crucial event in Christianity, the most important of all Jesus' miracles. Resurrection is what Catholics celebrate at Easter. It is a symbol of renewal, and it brings us the message that even though we are all sinners, we can be reborn in Christ, our Savior.

Two days after the crucifixion, Mary Magdalene — another follower of Christ — discovered that Jesus' tomb was empty. Jesus Christ had risen from the dead. According to the Gospels, Mary met Jesus on the road. Later, Jesus communed with his disciples, and then he ascended into Heaven.