21. PRAYING THE LIFE OF JESUS: THE FIFTH SORROWFUL MYSTERY - THE CRUCIFIXION

APPETIZER: By embracing in his human heart the Father's love for all people, Jesus "loved them to the end", for "greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." In suffering and death his humanity became the free and perfect instrument of his divine love which desires the salvation of men.  Indeed, out of love for his Father and for each human being, whom the Father wants to save, Jesus freely accepted his Passion and death: "No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of my own accord." (CCC 609)  Christ's death is both the Paschal sacrifice that accomplishes the definitive redemption of humanity through "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world", and it is the sacrifice of the New Covenant, which restores human beings to a right relationship with God through the "blood of the covenant, which was poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins". (CCC 613)  It is by loving us to the end that Christ's sacrifice finds its value as redemption and reparation, as atonement and satisfaction.  Jesus  knew and loved each one of us  when he offered his life.  No man, not even the holiest, was ever able to take on himself the sins of all people and offer himself as a sacrifice for them all. The existence in Christ of the divine person of the Son, who at once surpasses and embraces all human persons, and constitutes himself as the Head of all mankind, makes possible his redemptive sacrifice for all. (CCC 616)

MAIN COURSE:  There is a lot of theology rolled into today's Appetizer, each one of which could fill a whole book on its own!  But let's take a closer look at a few of the most astounding (to me) ingredients in this "recipe for our salvation" and see what they are telling us.

1.  Embracing in his human heart the Father's love for all people.  Is this how we think about God the Father? Do we really let it sink into our heads and our hearts that, as St. John tells us, "God is love"? (see 1 John 4:16) Note that St. John does not say "God is loving" as if it is simply one of the Lord's characteristics. Love is not simply what God does, it is what God IS. And it is how he acts towards us always. And what is love?  It is the decision to always do what is best for others no matter what the cost is to self.  

2. Indeed, out of love for his Father and for each human being, whom the Father wants to save, Jesus freely accepted his Passion and death.  A most fundamental thing to never forget about the Passion and Crucifixion is that Jesus, God the Son, was freely embraced his saving mission out of love.   It was his only and complete motivation in his human life. He did not act from a sense of patriotism for Israel against the Romans. Nor was it a grandiose offering of self to become the Hero of Israel. Jesus went forth to his Passion as the Servant of Love whose heart beats as one with the heart of the Father; a heart beating with love for every single human being: past, present and future.

3. Jesus  knew and loved each one of us  when he offered his life. This is an incredible truth to ponder!  Do we realize that, because he is God as well as human, Jesus saw each one of us, knew each one of us, loved each one of us and offered himself up for each one of us individually and personally during his Passion? During the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, while enduring his scourging and crowning with thorns, as he stumbled and fell through the streets of Jerusalem on the way to Golgotha, for the three hours that he was torturously nailed to the wood of the cross...he saw ME, he knew ME, he kept loving ME, he did it for ME. And he did all this as if I was the only person in the world who stood in need of salvation.  I wonder how often we really stop and realize this truth?

4. It is by loving us to the end that Christ's sacrifice finds its value as redemption and reparation, as atonement and satisfaction.  This brief sentence contains term that are considered in theology the four results or effects of Jesus' crucifixion. Heres a brief explanation that really does not do justice to their fullest meaning.

Redemption means "to buy back". When we redeem something (for example, a coupon) we turn it in and receive something in exchange. And so theology says that Jesus exchanged his life for ours as a sacrifice for our sins. He redeemed us from sin and death, from the kingdom of darkness and evil. This si why Te New Testament tells us that we were purchased by the blood of Christ: "He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins." (Ephesans 1:7)

Reparation means "to make amends for wrong that has been done".  Reparation is an active form of apology, of saying "I'm sorry" in a tangible meaningful way. As the perfect human being Jesus was able to, in effect, say to God  the Father on behalf of the human race: "We're sorry for what our ancestors did in the Garden of Eden, We're sorry for all he sins by which we have abused your love for us."  Jesus' total love and humble obedience, since it was joined to his divinity and was therefore infinite, made complete reparation for the selfishness and disobedience of Adam, Eve, and all of us sinners.

Atonement is very much the same as reparation, however, it carries with it a sense of reconciliation. You can even see this in its word structure: at-one-ment. You see reparation can indeed make amends for wrongs done, but in and of itself it does not guarantee healing of a broken relationship. Atonement accomplishes this goal. By his Cross Jesus made us one: one with God and one with each other in Christ. Atonement is reparation that brings about unity.

Satisfaction means meeting the conditions necessary to set things right. We don't really use this word much in this sense in American English anymore but we do experience it.  Think about when you really try your hardest to make up to a person whom you have offended, and then ask, "Are you satisfied? Did I do enough?"  The crucifixion of Jesus is called a "saving death" because by it he "did more than enough" to make up for how the human race has treated (and when we sin still treats)  the God who loves us.

I am going to end this week's Bitesize lesson with a question that many people often have: Did Jesus HAVE to suffer and die in order for us to be reconciled to God?  Theologians, Bible scholars, and regular everyday believers have been asking this almost since the beginning of Christianity.  What we have to remember in all this is that God is God, and he could have done anything he wanted.  Be that as it may, there are basically two "camps" in this debate. One side vehemently upholds the "satisfaction" terminology while the other emphasizes that of "atonement".  The former hold fast to the Old Testament practice of blood-sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins.  The latter, on the other hand, put the focus on Jesus' love for and obedience to the Father as being the all-sufficient cause for the healing the sinful wound of human nature and obtaining forgiveness of sins.  

But the truth, really, is found in a third group, the middle ground, which sees no problem with combining both concepts.  As a matter of fact this is where most believers can be found because their position is firmly grounded in the  Church’s teaching that “Jesus atoned for our faults and made satisfaction for our sins to the Father.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 615) Notice how both terms of each side of the debate are contained in that teaching! Thus, we are free to prefer either way (without denying the other) as long as we hold to what is true and revealed to us by God and which we profess every Sunday: "For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again..." (Nicene Creed)

DOGGIE-BAG: A little something to take with you for spiritual snacking during the day.

Saint Quote: “In difficult moments, I will fix my gaze upon the silent Heart of Jesus stretched on the Cross, and from the exploding flames of His merciful Heart, will flow down upon me power and strength to keep fighting.” (St. Faustina Kowalska, d. 1938)

From our Catholic Tradition: Prayer Before a Crucifix. The following is a long-standing prayer in Catholicism and is traditionally recited before a crucifix or after Holy Communion while gazing upon the crucifix in church.

Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus
while before Your face I humbly kneel,
and with burning soul,
pray and beseech You
to fix deep in my heart lively sentiments
of faith, hope, and charity;
true contrition for my sins,
and a firm purpose of amendment.

While I contemplate,
with great love and tender pity,
Your five most precious wounds,
pondering over them within me
and calling to mind the words which David,
Your prophet, said to You, my Jesus:

"They have pierced My hands and My feet,
they have numbered all My bones."

Amen.

Scripture Quote to Memorize: "My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. I live life trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)