And Bowing His Head, He Breathed His Last...

Now that it is officially past midnight (and I have been recruited at the last minute to recite the part of Simon of Cyrene during the Living Stations of the Cross), I would like to take a moment to share my thoughts on the importance of this day.

When I was a small child (in terms of age, as I was apparently never actually small) and still living in Puerto Rico, I remember that during each Good Friday, all of the local TV stations became 24/7 broadcasts for movies relating to the Passion of Our Lord. I remember being annoyed by this at the time, since I was deprived of an opportunity to watch my morning shows when I finally had a day off from school (at least it was still called Good Friday back then, and not "Spring Weekend" as secular interests now demand of public schools). My annoyance quickly gave way to curiosity, however, as I saw the same thing over and over again and started to ask questions about the meaning behind such a continuous running of the same story. Of course, I was a small child, and those who bothered to answer my questions were not exactly the best-informed sources (though I still appreciate their efforts); but I can honestly say that I became fascinated by the movies, and often would pass judgment (no pun intended) on which movies looked the best, which actors best looked the part, etc. (again, small child, and not adept at analyzing acting ability, so whoever looked the best was the best).

25 years, a language change, and a master's in theology later, I still find myself asking questions as I watch the Passion-related movies that network and cable stations still bother to broadcast on TV (to my dismay, it is now 6 years and counting with no confirmed sighting of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ on network or cable TV, though I welcome the opportunity to be corrected on that point). Of course, now I have only myself and a few theologically inclined friends to talk to about the really tough questions; and instead of a child-like acceptance of what I am told, I analyze, over-analyze, and then do some more analyzing of every answer I receive. This tendency has proven to be the closest I can come to imitating the sufferings of Our Lord on the long and winding road from Gethsemane to Calvary, as I drive myself absolutely nuts trying to analyze this and that. I am thankful at least that something always happens to make me step back and see the larger picture. And what a picture!





Even the brutal treatment Christ receives in Gibson's Passion cannot come close to doing justice to what Christ really experienced. For our sins, the devil demanded a price that we could not pay. Jesus, fully man and fully God, chose to sacrifice Himself for us - not because the debt had to be paid, not because He was ordered by the Father to do so, but because He so loved us that He could not bear the thought of us not being reconciled to His beloved Father in Heaven. Being fully God, He was infinitely worth more than the price the devil demanded for our sins. Being fully man, He knew He would suffer grievously for us. During the events of the Passion, we must remember that it was not just brutal executioners physically torturing Christ. Christ realized he was fulfilling Simeon's prophecy: He, the King of kings, had become a sign that was rejected by the very people to whom His Father had promised a king. He felt the brutal sting of that rejection, just as keenly as he felt the abuse of the executioners, for He loved them all immeasurably and was dying for them as well.

Christ suffered on all fronts. In the worldly realm, He was subjected to the most brutal tortures then know to man. In the otherworldly realm, He had presented Himself as a sacrifice to the evil one. The devil had one chance - one chance in the whole of eternity - to destroy Christ. And he who hates all, he who hates above all others the One who loves above all others, mustered all of the power of hell to destroy God the Son. Christ alone, among all men, felt the full fury of the devil's wrath. Christ alone, among all men, was not given the divine protection without which the devil would consume us and all of creation with an unquenchable fire of hatred. Christ alone, among all men, learned what it meant to experience the full onslaught of all the evil that has ever existed.

That is the price He paid. That is the agony He underwent, freely and with no obligation to do so. He did it for us. He would have done it just for you. He would have done it just for me. He would have done it just for Caiaphas, the chief earthly architect of his condemnation. He would have done it just for Pilate, who washed his hands and turned a blind eye to the carnage that had already taken place and the carnage that would ensue. He would have done it just for Judas, of whom He had already said that it would have been better for him if he had never been born. Such is the measure of love beyond measure.

We all know what happened on Sunday morning. It was proof that Satan's onslaught failed. It was proof that Satan's acceptance of Jesus' sacrifice cost him souls beyond measure. But on this day, the world groaned, for a Savior was put to death; and it was all inspired by a love that death itself could not extinguish. God bless!


In Jesus and Mary,
Gerald