The Passion of our Lord is one of the most personally reflected upon events in all of human history. While there are countless angles to consider, simply the fact that we recall the Son of God made flesh was unjustly tried and brutally executed is significant enough on its own. Poignant accounts can be found in sacred scripture, writings of the saints and mystics, and even from contemporary examples such as the 2004 Mel Gibson film. What else can be poignantly said on the matter that has not already been examined?
Without intending to be relativistic, the best person to answer that question may actually be ourselves. While nearly every faithful Christian is aware of the historical accounts, we must ask ourselves what our Lord may be able to show us anew as it pertains to our relationship with Him. We can imagine what Christ’s passion was like through the eyes of those such as our Blessed Mother, the Apostles, Simon of Cyrene, or even from the standpoint of one who betrayed or tortured Jesus. We can also imagine what it would be like if we were there personally. One excellent source of devotion for this purpose is the Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich.
Ultimately, this upcoming Lenten season is an excellent opportunity for each of us to pick up our cross in perhaps a new way that is more united to Jesus than we have ever been before. In doing so, we can imagine it from at least two separate perspectives: the perspective of Christ, who carried and died on the cross for our sins – and what it means for us to carry and die to our own crosses. Specifically, to contemplate the Passion of our Lord in a visceral manner that will not only allow us to embrace our own sufferings, but also dwell on the things that weigh us down as we make our own way to Calvary.
It may help to start this meditative exercise as far back as the Last Supper: “what was it like to witness the very first Eucharistic Celebration with our Lord?” “When do I act like Judas and betray myself to sin – and often for so much less than thirty pieces of silver?” “What would I say to Jesus if he were in this very room with me and He offered to wash my feet?” In other words, what does Jesus want to show and say to us this Lent? We cannot be reminded enough that this event is not simply a fanciful story or an embellished tale. It was a true, historical event that quite literally opened the gates of Heaven that had previously been closed to all men and salvation.
As we move ahead to the arrest and trial of Jesus; ‘how often have I been Peter in the courtyard who denied Jesus?” “Do I unjustly blame others or even Christ Himself for my own shortcomings and problems?” “Am I brave enough to speak up for and defend Christ as those around me blaspheme Him and take His name in vain?” “Do I visit Jesus in the tabernacle at my parish when He is most often confined there alone, just as He was in His cell before He was taken to Pilate in the morning?” It can be easy to be courageous from where we sit, but possibly much different if we were there in person.
We may understand the difficult position of Pilate and can even offer him the benefit of the doubt as we read that he found no cause to hand Christ over to death. And so while we may often pass the test not to give up Jesus to our enemies or even directly into mortal sin, do we instead make compromises as Pilate did when he thought if he simply had Christ scourged, that would suffice the appetites of all before he relented and had Him crucified anyway? Specifically, do we make peace with venial sin to satisfy our passions – only to realize that in doing so it still injures Him and so often just ends up eventually leading us to mortal sin anyway? We then may find ourselves in the crowd yelling “Crucify Him!” How so? Perhaps by choosing to sin and knowing that we are only forgiven by Christ’s death on the cross, thereby intentionally taking wrongful advantage of His sacrificial offering; crowning Him King and sacrificing Him on purpose to assuage our own premeditated sins.
As Christ carried His cross, we can watch from a distance as Mary comforted our Lord when He fell and perhaps by her intercession it made it easier for Him to rise back up and complete His mission. Perhaps we can also find ways in our lives to help others carry their Cross and even try to lighten Jesus’ burden by turning away from sin and offering acts of reparation. In the same manner, we can also learn to turn to the Blessed Mother as we seek her intercession to help us get back up after we fall, even with the weight of the world on our shoulders. Before death, Jesus also willingly stretched out His hands to be nailed to the cross. In the same way, we can recall that we are also called to stretch out our hands to our enemies, even if we may also end up with our own hands nailed to a cross in return.
These thoughts can be applied to our spiritual journeys but also to the outward situations we find ourselves living in. We currently live in an age where it seems that no matter what we do to try and build a better society, we are only met with insults and beatings. However, just as Jesus willingly and knowingly carried His cross to certain death, we are also called to do the same. No matter how many times we fall and how fervently the masses cheer for the destruction of our Church and a virtuous society, may we always commit to getting back up and make the same choice to surrender to death, even if it means death on a cross. In doing so, we have certainty that in the end, our Heavenly Father will raise us up just as He will raise up the world on the Last Day.