Jesus Himself is a contradiction, or at least that is how some saw and understood Him when they had Him crucified. In some ways nothing has changed. People today still see the Lord as a contradiction. Everything about the world, or at least the part of it that is inherently broken tells us: be successful, obtain happiness, we are the captains of our own destiny, life is everything, death is the loss of everything, find pleasure and avoid pain, we are the masters of morality according to our own benefit when it suites us as individuals and as the group.
If one accepts and lives the principles just stated, whether we like it or not, know it or not we make ourselves gods. Jesus did everything in the opposite.
“Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.” (Phil. 2:6-8)
Jesus successes were the benefits that others received. His concern was to bring people God’s grace. Happiness for Jesus was found in service. He never considered His own destiny, He knew to whom He would return. He occupied and concerned Himself with our destinies. This does not mean that Jesus did not care about his own well being, his life. Life for Jesus was everything as long as one truly understood what that meant, that life is a gift and it’s infinitely precious. Death was not an end, but a final sacrament so-to-speak, our last rite. Pleasure was not a focal point but rather the outcome of what it means to truly love, i.e. sacrifice. Morality for Jesus was always through the Holy Spirit who directs and guides us towards the good and helps us to avoid evil. Good and evil acts were never subject to whim and one’s fancies, but to an understandable reality that was objective, one dictated by love, for God is love. And finally, true divinity is only achieved when we become slaves to God and not to selves or to this world.
The contradictions are many, but the one that stands above the rest is that on the surface and the way the world would judge is that Jesus’ death is really no victory at all, but instead a terrible loss.
We count death as loss, for those left behind really do feel a loss, and it is painful. Nevertheless, something is always won, and that something is love, for love is stronger than death. This is not just a pious saying. For how strong was Jesus’ love? Did death defeat His love? Do we count it as loss only?
Think for a moment what Jesus’ death means?
How many have been moved by His life? Think of all the martyrs, especially the Apostles who suffered at the hands of others, all to remain faithful to their Teacher. Their blood moves us, but their blood only has life because the King of Martyrs went first. Think of all the saints who have given so much of themselves to help the world see God. What gives a tiny Albanian woman the strength to go and pick up dying people out of the gutters in India? What gives a Polish Seminarian during WWII the courage to assist Jews in escaping from Hitler’s regime? What gives a man living in fornication, having a child out of wedlock, join false religions and even dispute against Christianity to become one of the greatest saints and doctors of the Church?
And though these examples are of our heroes, it is also you and I. What gives us the strength to endure whatever may come in life? What gave us the strength to come here today?
The answer is simple really, Jesus Christ. And in particular, Jesus Christ crucified. His death was not loss, but victory. The world would like us to see it as loss, but it is not. Even from Genesis it says, “You will strike at his heel, but he will crush your head!” It seems that Satan won, for Jesus died, but no indeed, for his head was crushed, sin and death was crushed. We now live as free men. Yes, we still suffer earthly death, but we live always in freedom, and more importantly we are endowed with life giving grace.
That grace won for us on the cross gave the Apostles strength to die, it gave Mother Teresa strength to pick up dying people, it gave John Paul II the strength to assist his brothers and sisters, and it gave St. Augustine the strength of conversion, and it gives us the strength to do all they have done, for we too are recipients of the same grace they received.
If we really believe all this then we should never run from the Cross, because in the Cross there is life. To those who do not believe it looks like death, a contradiction. But not for us, so then, let us run to the Cross and embrace it, and never let go, for in it is Eternal life! It is Good Friday!
Fr. John
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