Why Jesus had to undergo the agonies of his Passion - Biweekly Newspaper for the Diocese of Richmond %

One of the most harsh yet central teachings of Christianity is that, in order to save us, Jesus had to undergo all the torments of his Passion and Death (Lk 24:26).

Over the centuries, many have pointed out that, since Jesus is God, he could have redeemed us merely by shedding one drop of His Precious Blood. According to this perspective, it could be asserted that we were actually saved the day of his circumcision, when the first drops of his blood were shed. But this is not what the Gospel proclaims, but rather Christ crucified.

A similar misunderstanding is that Jesus had to endure his Passion and Death in order to appease the just wrath of his Father, who was infinitely offended by human sinfulness. This requires viewing him as an angry father, who severely abuses his children when they disobey his commands.

But this is not in harmony with the fact that God the Father so loved the world that he sent his only Son to live among us and to lay down his life for our salvation. Thus all who believe in him and are born of water and the Spirit are able to share in eternal life with Him (Jn 3:16).

Jesus did not lay down His life for us to appease the Father, but rather to please Him (cf., Matt 3:17, 17:5; Mk 1:11; Lk 3:22).

But why was such a cruel and agonizing death required for the world’s salvation? To answer that question, it is necessary for us to note that Jesus’ suffering and assent to Calvary mirrored His descent into the depths of the human soul.

Such a descent was required in order to allow God’s redeeming graciousness not merely to deliver a soul from the tragic consequences of its sins and resentments, but also to draw the soul out of the bleak and desecrating darkness of sin into the marvelous light of His redemptive and regenerative mercy.

This truth was indicated to us repeatedly in the Gospel. Jesus frequently lamented the lack of faith on the part of so many, while exclaiming His joy when He discovered faith being revealed in the lives of others.

One of the great deceptions of Satan is the idea that our sins so badly desecrate ourselves that we cannot be loved, much less appreciated. This deception leads to the belief that, while we can manipulate others by good actions into liking us, at the very core of our being, we remain intrinsically unlovable.

The truth, however, is quite the opposite. While we can be and often are unfaithful and even rebellious and perverse, God is always faithful to his original sacred, loving and gracious commitment to continually beget us in his image and likeness – even as our sins so grievously offend Him and desecrate ourselves, our perspectives and others in so many ways.

In a way, this love was reflected in an incident in the ministry of St. Teresa of Calcutta. A child was going through a terrible fit. When St. Teresa picked him up, the child viciously bit her and clawed at her. But, through this ordeal, she just gently, firmly and lovingly held him, until he gradually calmed down and fell asleep in her arms. No matter what he did to her, she would not stop reverently affirming his intrinsic sacredness and her love for him.

This is a beautiful image. But we need to remember that, ultimately, authentic love can only bear fruit when it is both freely given and freely received. If one were to impose love or affection on another without that person’s consent, it would violate an important dimension of such a sacred relationship – if not of the person himself/herself.

As was indicated above, however, one of the consequences of our sins is that, as they desecrate us and our perspective of ourselves and others, they draw us into a profound but real sense of self-loathing, if not a pernicious and pervasive sense of self-hatred.

This in turn, leads to other sins. Just as our first parents, after they ate the forbidden fruit, sought to justify themselves and find salvation through excuses and resentments, we tend to do the same thing.

Furthermore, seduced by Satan, we go even further by believing that, if we degrade and desecrate others enough, we can forget how profoundly we have desecrated ourselves, and thus, like Adam and Eve, we seek to find “salvation” through excuses and resentments.

In direct opposition to this vicious circle of abuse, excuses and resentments, Jesus was sent by the Father that we may have life and have it to the full. But he could only fully reveal the transformative depths of God’s love, mercy, reverence and gratitude to us by having us fully and tangibly reveal to him the evils that festered in and polluted the depths of our souls.

Here it is important to note the Eucharistic nature of his love for us. While we normally think of love in terms of beneficence and munificence, its deepest reality is consecrated to and permeated with reverence and gratitude for the beloved – regardless of the condition of the beloved.

Sadly, though, since our ability to believe that we could ever be reverenced, loved and appreciated so deeply is severely crippled by our sins, we will not believe unless we can actually witness such love transcending and triumphing over all the festering evils in the depths of our souls.

The price that sinful humans demand to be redeemed from their sins is that the Divine Lover persevere in asserting that love, even as we demonstrate how deeply we are enmeshed in – and even committed to – sin’s desecrating demonic dynamic.

This being the case, Jesus had to pay the price we were demanding. Throughout his Passion, and even beyond it, he continued to plead with each of us – “Please believe how deeply I love you, how precious you are to Me, and how grateful I am to have you as my child.”

The following Litany of Christ Crucified may help:

“What if we fail to pray with You, betray You, and abandon You?”

“Please believe Me and trust Me, as I tell you how deeply I love you, how precious you are to Me and how grateful I am to have you as My child!”

“What if we denigrate You, slap You, spit on You, blindfold You, and ridicule You?”