APPETIZER: The cup of the New Covenant, which Jesus
anticipated when he offered himself at the Last Supper, is afterwards accepted
by him from his Father's hands in his agony in the garden at Gethsemane, making himself "obedient unto death".
Jesus prays: "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. .
." Thus, he expresses the horror
that death represented for his human nature. Like ours, his human nature is
destined for eternal life; but unlike ours, it is perfectly free from sin,
which is the cause of death. By accepting in his human will that the Father's
will be done, he accepts his death for the sake of redeeming the human race,
for "he bore our sins in his body on the cross." We must regard as guilty all who continue to
carry on with their sins. Since our sins made the Lord Christ suffer the
torment of the cross, those who keep plunging themselves into sin crucify the
Son of God anew in their hearts (for he is in them) and hold him up to
contempt. (CCC, #585 & 612)
MAIN COURSE: One of the hotly debated questions asked in theology classes about the Passion of Christ is this: who is responsible for it? Who killed Jesus? The Jewish leaders? The Roman government? Both? Well, the real answer is: NEITHER! That is, if we are talking about who is truly responsible for his suffering and death. Those who carried out the plot and death sentence were simply the human agents. Certainly not innocent, but neither are they deserving of all the blame. Sin is real culprit.
WE humans, sinners, are really the ones responsible for the Passion of Christ. WE are the actual guilty party. And as the Catechism points out, those historical agents of his Passion listed above are more innocent than we are! Why? Because as Jesus said from the cross, they did not know what they were doing (see Luke 23:34). And as St. Paul wrote, they did not know that there were crucifying the Lord of Glory for if they did they would never had done it! (see 1 Corinthians 2:8) But we - having lived after his Ascension, having received the full Gospel, having been baptized and enlightened by the grace of the Holy Spirit - we know full well who Jesus is and what he as done for us. And yet we choose to sin and thus treat his Passion as if it means next to nothing. This is what the Catechism calls (in the Appetizer quote above) crucifying the Son of God anew in our hearts.
Jesus knew full well how many throughout history would ignore what he had done for each one of them and would treat his Passion with such contempt. Nevertheless, he chose to freely undergo it out of love anyway. For the sake of those who WOULD embrace it. And even for the sake of those who MIGHT embrace it. Such was the burning fire in his Heart which loved humans so much even if so little love and gratitude would be given him in return. This is why we acclaim him as the Savior and Redeemer, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (meaning the sins of everyone who has ever or will ever live in the world).
This is why Scripture calls serious sin the greatest evil humans can commit. There are many evils in life what with all the suffering, disasters, destitution, injustice, sickness, and death. But sin is a worse evil than any of these because, while bodily and mental suffering attack our physical existence on earth, sin, has the power to end our spiritual life, our eternal life. Serious sin can lead us into what can be called "eternal death", in other words, Hell. So on the scale of things, the spiritual evil of sin is eternally worse than the temporary evils we endure on planet Earth.
But this doesn't mean we ignore either one! As Christians we are called by Christ to battle and deal with both forms of evil. We strive for the promotion of peace and justice for all people, and serve the needs of those who suffer. At the same time we must spread the Message of the Kingdom of God, the Good News of Christ so that souls, too, and not just bodies can be freed from evil and inherit eternal life. This is why we have BOTH corporal and spiritual works of mercy.
So, since sin is the culprit here and we are its accomplice, let's
take a quick look at it. Traditionally, Christianity has classified sinful behavior into seven categories called the 7 Deadly Sins. These are not
the only sins, but tend to be the most significant ones.
Mortal sin destroys genuine love in the heart of the human person by a grave turning way from one's relationship with God, who alone can bring us genuine happiness. The Church takes the horror of mortal sin so seriously that it sets some very definite guidelines to help us discern it in our choices. For a person to commit mortal sin, he or she must be aware of three things: that what they intend to do is a serious breach of God's law; they must know and understand that it is serious; and then then must consent to it with full human freedom. This is why the Church also teaches that such things as addiction, longstanding habit, and various emotional or psychological factors can inhibit our freedom of choice and thus lessen or even completely remove any personal guilt for mortal sin. (see CCC #2352).
As part of its preaching on a life of love for God and neighbor, the Church - like Christ - does not ignore the possibility of such serious sin. Ordinarily, the way Catholics have mortal sin forgiven and are restored to a right relationship with God is through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. But of course, God is not bound to act ONLY through the sacraments and so we leave much to his mercy both for ourselves and for others.
The point of reviewing all this in our Bite-size Catechism is to remind us that sin has a price-tag and his Name is Jesus Christ. It was precisely to deal with sin and its earthly as well as eternally harmful effects on the human race that God the Son himself became human. It was precisely for this same reason that he preached, worked miracles, established his Catholic Church, and underwent his Passion. It is up to each one of us to chose how we will respond to that fact. Will we honor the Passion of Christ by lives of love and service to others? Or will we simply assign the Passion of Christ to its place in human history and live as if he never did pay the price? I guess that's just another way of saying will we choose Heaven or Hell? We have free will and the decision is up to each one of us. He always holds out his hand to accompany us along the right way.
DOGGIE-BAG: Here are a few things for you to take away for your spiritual snacking throughout the day:
A Prayer to Jesus on the Agony in the Garden
WE humans, sinners, are really the ones responsible for the Passion of Christ. WE are the actual guilty party. And as the Catechism points out, those historical agents of his Passion listed above are more innocent than we are! Why? Because as Jesus said from the cross, they did not know what they were doing (see Luke 23:34). And as St. Paul wrote, they did not know that there were crucifying the Lord of Glory for if they did they would never had done it! (see 1 Corinthians 2:8) But we - having lived after his Ascension, having received the full Gospel, having been baptized and enlightened by the grace of the Holy Spirit - we know full well who Jesus is and what he as done for us. And yet we choose to sin and thus treat his Passion as if it means next to nothing. This is what the Catechism calls (in the Appetizer quote above) crucifying the Son of God anew in our hearts.
This is why Scripture calls serious sin the greatest evil humans can commit. There are many evils in life what with all the suffering, disasters, destitution, injustice, sickness, and death. But sin is a worse evil than any of these because, while bodily and mental suffering attack our physical existence on earth, sin, has the power to end our spiritual life, our eternal life. Serious sin can lead us into what can be called "eternal death", in other words, Hell. So on the scale of things, the spiritual evil of sin is eternally worse than the temporary evils we endure on planet Earth.
But this doesn't mean we ignore either one! As Christians we are called by Christ to battle and deal with both forms of evil. We strive for the promotion of peace and justice for all people, and serve the needs of those who suffer. At the same time we must spread the Message of the Kingdom of God, the Good News of Christ so that souls, too, and not just bodies can be freed from evil and inherit eternal life. This is why we have BOTH corporal and spiritual works of mercy.
Greed is
an obsessive desire for money and material possessions that consume a person's
energies and lead them even into dishonest practices in order to obtain
what they want.
Lust is an dominant desire for sexual pleasure
that will take risks to satisfy itself and views persons primarily as objects
of satisfaction rather than people with dignity.
Anger in
this context means wrath, which is a volatile uncontrollable expression of
passionate emotion that cuts people to the heart and denigrates them.
Gluttony is
an inordinate thirst for drink and obsession of delight in food that goes far
beyond what one needs for health and nutrition. It is seeking these ting
only for the satisfaction they gives and not out of hunger or as part of an
ordinary meal plan.
Envy is an extreme desire to have what others possess (either in talents or wealth) that leads a person to act in a spiteful,
hateful, derogatory or otherwise negative manner towards the person whom
they envy.
Pride is an over-exagerrated view on oneself or an unbalanced view of one's accomplishments and deeds. It places oneself above other people as superior to them or believing oneself to be more necessary than they are.
Pride is an over-exagerrated view on oneself or an unbalanced view of one's accomplishments and deeds. It places oneself above other people as superior to them or believing oneself to be more necessary than they are.
Sloth is
spiritual laziness, neglect of one's religious duties to God. It's a word
not used much today but it's reality is widespread. Absenting oneself from
Sunday Mass is a common example of sloth among Catholics, as would be not
praying to God in one's personal life.
Sins are rightly evaluated according to their gravity. The distinction
between mortal and venial sin is a teaching of Scripture (see 1 John 5:16-17). Mortal means deadly. Venial means minor.
Venial sin weakens our love for God and neighbor and if it is not checked, it can lead us into a habit and attitude of carelessness that makes it more easy to eventually choose mortal sin. Venial sins are sees as "less serious" than mortal sins, though all sin has a negative effect upon our relationship with God and neighbor. The Church teaches that venial sins are forgiven by a sincere prayer of contrition. This is why we always begin our Masses with the penitential rite asking the Lord for mercy.
DOGGIE-BAG: Here are a few things for you to take away for your spiritual snacking throughout the day:
A Prayer to Jesus on the Agony in the Garden
Jesus, as You knelt before Your Father in the garden, I know Your Heart was filled with agony and pain. You knew what was to come and the excruciating pain You must suffer. But more than that, Your Heart suffered the agony of knowing Your children, who You loved so much would reject You, condemn You, torture You, and crucify You. You had given Your whole life to show them the way of love, the way of healing, the way of mercy, and now, You would show them the way of the cross.
The pain Your Heart suffered was also knowing that even after the victory You would have over death, You would still be rejected, even in this very day, this very hour, by so many of Your children!. May my heart burn as Yours did that day in the garden of Gethsemane, so I may desire to love others so much that I am willing to endure suffering, pain, and hardship for their sake, so they may come to spend eternal life with You. May I surrender to Your will as You surrendered Yourself to the Father.
Jesus, help me surrender myself always to Your will, as You surrendered Yourself to Your Father. Give me the faith to know that if God wishes to deliver me from suffering, He will do so. Give me the courage to see suffering as a blessing, and to suffer it willingly as You did, so it may be a gift I can return to You, Jesus, to console Your agonizing Heart, so You may have mercy on me and all sinners throughout the world. (Laura Marie Durant, OCDS, www.healingheartofjesus.com)
Saint Quote: Do not give up hope. You are terrified and depressed, worn down by
exhaustion…Be confident, I have overcome the world and yet I was even much more
afraid and appalled, since my suffering grew in proportion with the fearful
knowledge of what was causing it. Look how I go before you along this path that
is beset with so many fears. Take hold of the edge of my cloak and you will
feel flowing from it the power that will not allow your heart’s blood to be
contaminated with useless fears and anxieties. (St. Thomas More, Lord Chancellor of England, martyred 1535AD)
Scripture Verse to Memorize: And going a little farther Jesus fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39, English Standard Version Bible)
