In every redemption, Christians, living images of God, were ransomed. Sacred images of our Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and images of saints were also ransomed.
A statue of Jesus of Nazareth the Holy Redeemer was in Mamora, Spain from 1614 to 1681 when the city was captured and the statue was taken by the Moors to Morocco.
The Trinitarian priests witnessed the desecration of the sacred image and decided to ransom the statue. The Trinitarian scapular was placed on the statue just as it was placed on the 211 ransomed Christians in 1682 as proof that the ransom was paid.
This secured passage for the ransomed Christians and the statue out of Muslim controlled territory. Today the statue reminds us of the work of redemption carried out by the Trinitarian Order throughout the centuries.
Just as on several occasions rescued captives paid back the price of their ransom to the Trinitarians (if their means permitted it), in the redemption of the statue of Christ the Redeemer, Jesus has willed to repay the price of His ransom a hundred-fold. The 5 foot, 8 inch XVII century statue, now known as the “Christ of Medinaceli” can be seen today in the Basilica de Jesus de Medinaceli in Spain from where it inspires the devotion of thousands of visitors every year, and brings hope to Christians everywhere who seek freedom from persecution and captivity.
The Feast of The Most Holy Redeemer is celebrated on October 23rd, as it was liturgically approved in 1787.
