Wherever sin exists, God's judgement cannot but be focused on it, otherwise God would reach a compromise with sin and the very distinction itself between good and evil would no longer exist. Now, Jesus in Gethsemane is impiety, all the impiety of the world. He is man "made sin." Christ, it is written, died "for sinners"; he died in their place and not only in their favor. He accepted to answer for all men; he is, therefore, "responsible" for all, the guilty one before God! It is against him that God's wrath "is revealed," and that is what "drinking the cup" means. A correct understanding of Christ's passion is hindered by an extrinsic view of things according to which we have, on one side, man and his sin and, on the other side, Jesus suffering and expiating those sins, though he remains detached and untouched by sin. The relation of Jesus to sin is not distant or indirect, or even simply juridic, but real and close. Sin, in other words, was in him, he bore it because he had freely "taken it on to himself": "He himself bore our sins in his body"--"body" meaning here his very person (1 Pt 2: 24). He felt he was in some way the sin of the world. For once, let us give a name to the reality of sin so that it will not remain something abstract to us. Jesus bore all human pride, all rebellion against God, all lust, all hypocrisy, all injustice, all violence, all untruth, and all hatred, which is such a terrible thing. (Let him who has ever been the victim of this dreadful sentiment and experienced its effects on himself, think of that moment and he will understand).
Father Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M.Cap. is the preacher to the papal household.
No comments:
Post a Comment