The Suffering of Christ
Holy Week 2010

A non Catholic pastor friend of mine commented that he was not celebrating Good Friday because they only emphasized the resurrection on Easter (Though they do not call it "Easter," but rather, "Resurrection Sunday"). While this man is a good friend, and a lovely Christian and pastor, I could not help thinking how sad a commentary this is on modern American Christianity. It is not bad, but it is most incomplete.

As with most spiritual things, what we need is balance. We must celebrate the fullness of the cross if our resurrection joy is to avoid being superficial. Likewise, we must celebrate the resurrection to avoid our understanding of the cross being depressed, or just down right masochistic. Jesus fully experienced both, and so must we if we are really His followers.

On Good Friday the Church encourages us to focus intensely on the suffering and death of Jesus on the Cross. This is not supposed to be masochistic or weird. It is so that we might ficus on how much He loves us. He experienced intense suffering not out of some religious callisthenic, but out of love for us. That love is not only for us as a people of God, but for each one of us personally. It is an overwhelming thought to realize He would have gone through the entire Passion even if we were the only one to ever follow Him. His love for us is intense, and it is personal. Good Friday reminds us of what He did for us out of love.

What parent among us would not gladly lay down their life for the life of their child? Likewise, Jesus gladly laid down His life to show us how much He really loves us. We must never take that for granted, or accept it as mere religious doctrine. It is a personal act of the greatest love that can ever be expressed for another. That is how much God loves us in Jesus.

So take the remainder of this day and reflect on the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. Pray the Stations of the Cross, or reflect on the physical, emotional, and spiritual anguish of what He actually endured as I write in my book, Passion For God. Let this reflection be intense. Let it be personal. Allow your mind and emotions to ponder it vividly. Rather than making you feel depressed, it will help you realize how much you are loved, and loved by God.

John Michael Talbot