The Passion of the Christ is a walk through the worst of human trials and adversities - from betrayal, our battle between darkness and light, being scorned and forsaken, spiritually and physically beaten, shackled by sin, the throes of injustice, dis-ease, hatred, self-loathing, guilt, shame, ridicule...the list goes on. Those who stand as witnesses to the Passion are in several camps of human psychology - the oppressors (Romans and the Jews who betrayed Jesus for political gain, the jeers in the crowd, those in the crowd who wanted a criminal free over an innocent man, the mockers..); the justice fighters who lament Jesus and offer what little hope they can and argue for his vindication; the silent and the afraid. The disciples fell into all of these categories - with the traitor Judas selling his soul for silver - only to realize silver's price was bought in blood; the consoling friends - Mary and John and by tradition Veronica as well as the worried women of Jerusalem...many in the crowd see the violence as extreme and lament the punishment for a man who brought such miracles of light and love...then you have the oppressors who are malignant cancer growing in number - like demons prowling, hounding and ready to tear a soul apart and prey on every weakness. The strong of the world are often the weak in God's sight - for true power does not come from oppression and force - it is from love and justice.
Can you imagine the howling crowds, the forsaken breath Jesus felt, Jesus's humanity and divinity shines at its brightest - unique parts, fused in a holy mystery. The Passion does not see a triumph by the merits of the world, and God took on every vice and horror of the world in His walk to Calvary. His weapons: humility and obedience, love and forgiveness - and through that the war for souls was one in Victory.
The reason I keep considering Matthew 25:40 is the fact that we are not supposed to look at the Passion as something foreign to us, while we are quick to bash those who condemned Jesus and mocked Him, how many of us are guilty for the same offenses of judgment, chastisement, not offering mercy - and this lack of mercy is not just about people being sentenced to death - Jesus's Passion is a representation of all the social and moral injustice in the world...while Christ must endure this to master the law and atone for the sins of the whole world - God wants us to engage in the passion mysteries and Holy truths, for remembrance of Christ and to venerate HIS life, death and resurrection - but God also calls us to remember the passion to say - the injustice stops here. How long much the cycle of sin continue - how long will we turn to sin when we have the cross of Jesus to show us not only a path to salvation, but also the effects of sin on our souls and the entire world?
We must remember that for every person that goes unfed, unclothed, every child abused and abandoned, every person who cannot afford healthcare - when we do not answer the call to mercy and the justice of Christ's love (not arbitrary law but active grace and healing) then we are allowing 'Christ' to be crucified. Sin will continue to be with us - but that does not mean we have to let it rule us or turn to our own cups of impatient frustration when the going gets tough. The Agony in the Garden is a scene in which God Himself, questions Himself - he has fear of dying, fear of failing, fear of abandonment - the human and divine as one - God reflecting on His betrayal by the hearts of men, Christ's own desire to live a reminder to God for the reason to not let the cup of the passion past from Christ - for life is precious and life is from God and God does not abandon life. God's witness of the weakness of flesh and the desire to be one with HIMSELF - Christ's humanity longing for life with the father while also feeling the fear of the world.
Jesus is fully human and fully divine in His taking up the cross...physically he bears witness to the frailness of human flesh - and the nothingness it becomes, Jesus's true grace on the cross is the strength of the SPIRIT - even when He felt the snares of being forsaken, like Job - Christ knew that God was on His Side - in suffering he died to the world, and yet HIS Spirit persevered.
While we cannot break sin - we can work to draw closer to God and do what we can to heal a broken world - remembering that for every sin committed - Christ was crucified and suffered - there is a price outside of ourselves and even the world for sin - Christ forgiving our sins is a great grace, but we also must strive to see everyone as Christ and work to love our neighbor and foe as Christ loved us - sometimes this is hard work - we have to give up part of ourselves to help the least among us...but it is the better part and it is the cup that life draws its eternal breath from even after the flesh expires.
The Agony speaks volumes to me because it the crossroads where humanity meets God in between the flesh and spirit and our battle to let go of our ego and submit to God's will - which is always the right path. At times in spiritual journeys we find ourselves on a pilgrimmage to Calvary boldly walking towards sacrifice to God, only to feel the weight of our cross and nothingness bring us to the ground...how often have you felt forsaken by God during an illness or great disappointment - you scream out in anger - but all you want is God's love - at the root of the passion is a reflection of Christ going through the human spiritual and physical struggle of flesh and spirit going to God and trusting Him even when He seems deaf and silent. In the Agony, angels stand guard even in temptation - God is always with us - even when He doesn't seem to reveal His hand the way we desire - are we listening - are we impatient - or is the silence to remind us of just how alone we are without God so we will remember never to forsake HIM? I don't know the answers - but I do know my Redeemer lives and light always dispels the darkest of nights.
Praise be to YOU CHRIST for your mercy is great.
One of my favorite devotions in addition to the Rosary is the Divine Mercy Chaplet...In a vision to St. Faustina, Jesus asks that we remember His Passion each day at the 3 o'clock hour - The Divine Mercy Hour...taking time for a second to put ourselves in Christ's shoes during the passion and meditating on the humanness and divinity of his passion and how we can take up our cross is a powerful reflection - especially in times of turmoil - we find ourselves searching to help the least and draw ourselves closer to God than the temporal fears of the world.
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