How the Passion of Christ Should Be Considered in Multiple Ways by Christians
"Christ suffered for us, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps" (1 Peter 2:21)
The passion of Christ ought to be considered by the Christian in several ways.
First: To Imitate
First, the Christian should consider Christ's passion to imitate it, since as Christ Himself speaks: "The servant is not greater than his lord, nor the disciple greater than his master" (John 13:16; Matthew 10:24). If, therefore, it was necessary for Christ to suffer and thus enter into His glory, how much more is it necessary for Christ's ministers and disciples to enter the kingdom of heaven through many tribulations, bearing adversities and trials with equanimity! Therefore the Apostle said: "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). Finally, the highest and most perfect life of a Christian is the imitation of Christ. Let, therefore, the passion of our Savior be the rule of our life—His humility, patience, constancy, and charity, which He especially manifested in His passion. Therefore, let us be consoled all the more, insofar as we are conformed to Christ suffering for our sake; and let us be grieved all the more, insofar as we are distant from the imitation of His passion.
Let us consider daily, intimately and profoundly, what things, how great and of what sort Christ endured for us, that we may conform ourselves to His passion. And so, as far as in us lies, let us desire to be contemned by men, spat upon, persecuted, ridiculed, and afflicted; let us bear poverty, hunger, and thirst with equanimity after the example of Christ; let us heartily detest and flee superfluity, vanity, and every impure pleasure: that thus we may truly lead a penitential and cruciform life, and may deserve to reign with Him eternally in the future. Hence indeed the most blessed Prince of the Apostles declares: "Christ suffered for us, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps" (1 Peter 2:21).
Second: To Admire
Secondly, the Christian ought to consider Christ's passion to admire it. Let us consider, therefore, who, of what sort, and how great is He who endured such things for us. For He is God and man, King of kings and Lord of all: who according to His immutable divinity is of altogether infinite dignity, excellence, and glory; who also according to His humanity—united to divinity and filled with every virtue, gift, and grace—is superior to the whole world. Is it not, therefore, most vehemently to be wondered at that such and so great a One willed to endure for such vile sinners a most ignominious and most grievous death—and to be thus betrayed, captured, bound, spat upon, ridiculed, struck, accused, scourged, crowned with thorns, suspended between thieves, stretched, and killed by most wicked sinners?
If a son of an earthly king, for the liberation of his servants, even ungrateful ones, were to expose himself willingly to death and permit himself to be killed, would not all wonder exceedingly and commend the charity, piety, and patience of such a king's son? Incomparably more to be wondered at, praised, and venerated is the charity, mercy, and patience of the Son of the eternal King, namely our Lord Jesus Christ, who on account of the ineffable charity with which He loved us, and out of the inestimable mercy with which He had compassion on us, descended from the royal seats of highest heaven into this valley of tears, assumed our nature, and in it, for our deliverance from eternal death and for our supernal felicity, lived in this world in all poverty, humility, and charity, and at last endured for us a most bitter death.
Let us, therefore, wonder vehemently at so great charity, piety, and patience of His; let us love Him cordially, venerate Him perpetually, especially since the Prophet says: "God has scattered the bones of those who please men; they are confounded, because God has despised them" (Psalm 52:6). And the Savior says to the disciples: "If you were of the world, the world would love what is its own; but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:19). Therefore, if we desire to be of the number of the elect, let us not take it hard, nor wonder, nor be grieved, if we are ridiculed, despised, and suffer injuries from wicked men: rather, let us endure these things with joy, hoping that from this we pertain to the lot of the sons of God.
Third: To Exult
Thirdly, the Christian ought to consider Christ's passion for exultation, because we ought to glory in the passion of Christ, just as the Apostle says: "But we ought to glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom is our salvation, life, and resurrection, through whom we are saved and liberated" (cf. Galatians 6:14). Indeed, we ought to rejoice in Christ's passion, not insofar as it was an unjust injury to Christ and His greatest suffering; but insofar as through it we have been redeemed from eternal death, from the servitude of sin, from the yoke of the devil, and reconciled to God the Father, filled with the Holy Spirit, and restored to eternal beatitude; and also insofar as through it the devil has been conquered and the angelic ruin repaired. Therefore the Apostle said: "Far be it from me to glory, except in the cross of my Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Galatians 6:14). Hence a certain devout person says: "I know that it is sweet to you: 'In the beginning was the Word'; sweeter: 'The Word was made flesh'; sweetest: 'The Word incarnate was suspended on the cross.'"
Fourth: To Be Formed
Fourthly, the Christian ought to consider Christ's passion for his own formation, considering with what meekness, patience, charity, constancy, and humility Christ endured all the things which He suffered, when nevertheless by a single command He could have killed all His adversaries temporally and damned them eternally. But before Pilate and Herod, like an most innocent and most meek lamb, He was silent when accused wickedly. Wherefore Isaiah prophesied concerning Him: "As a sheep He was led to the slaughter, and as a lamb before his shearer is dumb, so He opens not His mouth" (Isaiah 53:7). To which things entirely consonant is what the glorious Apostle Peter bears witness concerning Christ in his first canonical epistle, saying: "Christ, when He was reviled, did not revile; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but delivered Himself to Him that judges unjustly, who Himself bore our sins in His body upon the tree" (1 Peter 2:23-24).
Considering these things, therefore, in every event, in every prosperity and adversity, in every act and thought, let us always learn and observe humility, patience, and charity: especially since Christ, enduring on the cross most cruel pains, forgetful of all injury done to Him, prayed most charitably and mercifully for His crucifiers; indeed, and He excused them as He could against those injuring Him, saying: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). By which example we are bound both to love our enemies and to pray for those who slander us. And briefly, in Christ's passion man finds the best examples of all virtues, the most salutary institutions of all morality, and an abundance of all things that pertain to perfection and salvation. These are they who prepare for us the way to the entrance of the heavenly kingdom: and the more anyone has wronged us, the more we ought to give thanks for him and pray for him.
And certainly so it is, if we could understand, or rather if we willed. For indeed those who injure us offer us the occasion of the greatest merit, provided we bear it with equanimity. And since we are very frail and prone to evil, therefore those who flatter us exhibit to us the occasion of great ruin, namely of vain glory, which is a most wicked little fox, destroying the vineyard of good works, emptying the reward.
Fifth: To Contemplate
Fifthly, the Christian ought to consider Christ's passion to contemplate it. For God incarnate suspended on the cross is the highest object of all contemplation. For there is contemplated the goodness and mercy of God, who so willed to help men; His justice, because God the Father preferred that His only Son should so suffer, than that countless sins should remain unpunished; His wisdom, because He found such a manner of liberation.
Sixth: To Be Inflamed
Sixthly, the Christian ought to consider Christ's passion to be inflamed, so that, wisely pondering how great and of what sort things Christ endured for us, and what great utility comes to us from His passion, we may be kindled entirely with love of Him. For if someone were to deliver us from the amputation of one member or from temporal death at the price of gold or silver, we would rightly love him much. Should we not, therefore, incomparably more love Christ, who by His own blood liberated us from eternal destruction and led us back to true salvation?
Meditating on these things, therefore, let us be inflamed with divine love, and let us rest in mind in Christ, and let us hide ourselves in His wounds, and let us be totally resolved, transformed, and deified in Him. And against those who injure us, let us not only not be indignant, but let us even affect them charitably and sweetly. As is read in the Lives of the Fathers concerning a certain Brother, that when someone did him an injury in words or deeds, he would run after him with joy, that he might do him a greater injury. And he said that he gave thanks to him and prayed for him. And certainly so it is, if we could understand, or rather if we willed.
CONTINUE
Comments
Post a Comment