In the last post, we spoke of Jesus as the "Word made flesh who dwelt among us." (John 1:14). After all that has happened this week, another aspect of that reality should come to mind. Jesus dwelt among us in all our humanity. He lived in our world, and saw not just the best of it, but the worst of it. He suffered, as so many are now. He felt our pain. He felt our hurt. He felt anguish. He died. And, the reality is, all of that, because He rose from the dead, and lives forever, is not in the past tense. He can still suffer. He can still feel pain. He can still feel hurt. He can still feel anguish. He may not die again, but he will always know what it is like to die, and have loved ones die.
I was going to speak a little more tonight on the relationship between Our Lord's humanity and divinity, and some heresies about Him the Church has had to correct through the centuries. I probably will do that in a future post. However, after the events of this past week, I think it would be appropriate to dedicate this post to Our Blessed Lord's humanity, specifically his suffering and death.
What does the Catechism say about Our Lord's suffering and death?
1) Jesus' words and actions gained him enemies among the Jews and partisans of Herod. Because of his healings, some thought his was the devil's work. They thought he downplayed the importance of the Temple, and were outraged when he predicted it would be destroyed. They thought he downplayed some aspects of the Law, and were outraged he acted as an authority on the Law. Finally, they were upset because he seemed to be equating himself with God, who along could forgive sins ( "I and the Father are One." [John 8:58]). Their incredulity though, on all of these, was not justified. He had respect for the Law and the Temple. He himself said the Law will never pass away. He had amazing reverence for the temple, even from childhood. He was correct to act as God because He was and is.
2) Even though it was Jews, enraged at Jesus' actions, who led the charge to put Jesus to death, all sinners, all of us, were the author of Christ's passion. Since Jesus is God, He could have snapped His fingers and ended his suffering whenever He wanted. He freely chose not to, because his death was going to be the ransom for our sins. The Old Testament references a "suffering servant" who would die for the sins of people. "After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities." (Isaiah 53:11-12).
3) Christ assumed our fallen human nature, and thus felt the full effects of sin, even though he did not sin Himself. Christ never lied. He never cheated. He never practiced any sexual deviation. He was faithful to God 100% of the time. He was a good man. Yet, he suffered, He died. Do these thoughts, questioning why bad things happen to good people, sound familiar for the sufferings of so many today? To all, those who passed away, and those who mourn their passing, and are suffering as a result, I say, you have a compassionate man who can understand you in the person of Jesus Christ.
4) Christ's suffering is an act of love. The Church teaches that the Father gave His Son to us out of love for us. As Saint Paul said to the Romans, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (5:8) The Son is a gift of the Father out of love. At the same time, the Son offers his life back to the Father out of love for us, as well. Jesus did not suffer out of some duty, some personal principle, some notion of justice, although all of those could factor in a little, but they are not the ultimate reason why he suffered. The ultimate reason is for love for us.
5) Christ, united to every man by the Incarnation, invites all men to be partners in His sacrifice. "Take up your cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24).
So what does this all mean for us in our current circumstances? I suggest a few things.
1) God knows what it is like to hurt.
2) God is compassionate. He can be sympathetic because He knows what we feel and are talking about when we experience or talk about suffering and death.
3) All sufferings, whether self-inflicted, or caused by others, can be united to the sacrifice of Christ. If they are, they are guaranteed to be meritorious and win salvation for ourselves and/or for others.
4) We can make our suffering an act of love that can do some good for someone somewhere, or maybe many people in different places.
5) Jesus Christ shows us that sin, death, and suffering do not have the last word. Only Jesus shows this! No other person, no other god, no other religion can demonstrate this reality so poignantly. Because of this, the Paschal mystery (the Death and Resurrection of Jesus) is our only hope in times like these. It is Jesus who can turn our tears of sorrow into tears of grace for ourselves and others. Jesus can turn our fear of the world into a holy fear of God alone, which will bring love of God, and courage in the face of evil and terror. Jesus can turn our worry into hope. When Jesus does all these things for us, we then in turn can unite with Him and be partners with Him in transforming our suffering into graces that can help build the Kingdom of God. Despite all that is happening, the Kingdom of God is growing, and one day, will reach full bloom. Do not let evil destroy you! Turn to Jesus, be consoled by Him, and then unite with Him to combat evil with the Cross (which he tells us we all have to carry), and as soldiers, we will, despite the gloom all around us now, win the battle.
Joseph most strong, pray for us.
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