God Labouring for us all in his gifts
Tony Horan SJ: A Reflection for Passiontide
The Three Crosses c.1653 Rembrandt van Rijn courtesy of the British Museum
St Ignatius reminds us that love ought to show itself in deeds not just words, and that is what we see in the gift of God, which is his Son made flesh. Jesus revealed his love in deeds of many kinds, healing until he was exhausted - not even leaving time for himself to eat so that ‘his people thought him beside himself’ (Mk 3.20).
But his deeds of love are most manifest in his Passion. The word ‘passion’ suggests things being done to him and of course they were, all too much and too many, but Jesus was not inactive. He forgave, ‘Father, forgive them, they know not what they do’. What love to be able to forgive, even in the midst of the agony of being nailed to the cross! It makes our attempts to forgive so small. He even promised paradise that very day to a criminal who shared the death with him.
But it is his care for his mother and for us that I want to highlight. We have little understanding of the agony of the crucifixion. It is not a passive suffering because the crucified has to fight for breath. And it is only by putting his weight on the nails through his feet that he would be able to breathe properly. But that was agony too, so the crucified would slump again, driving the breath from his body and taking the weight on the nails of his wrists. So any speech uses precious air from his lungs, but none the less Jesus speaks for our benefit and his mother’s. As we listen to the account in John’s Gospel - remember the cost.
‘There stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary of Clopas and Mary the Magdalene. And so Jesus, seeing his mother, and the disciple standing by whom he loved, says to his mother, ‘Woman, look - your son.’ Then he says to the disciple, ‘Look - your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her to his own.
‘After this, Jesus, knowing that already everything was brought to perfection, in order that the scripture might be perfected, says, ‘I thirst.’ A vessel lay there, full of wine vinegar. And so, wrapping a sponge full of the vinegar on a piece of hyssop they offered it to his mouth. And when he had taken the vinegar, Jesus said, ‘It is perfected.’ And inclining his head, he handed over the Spirit.’ (Jn 19: 25-30) Let us pray that we too may stand by his cross and be with him as much as we can in his suffering, as we receive the gracious gifts of Mary as our mother and of the Spirit.
In the translation of the Gospels by Nicholas King SJ, which I have used in this article, his notes state: ‘Even the description of his death, which could equally well have been translated ‘he gave up his life’, is probably to be read as a royal distribution of the Spirit, or gift of the Spirit’.
Jesus dies in order to rise again with new life, which he shares with us. So as we stand at the foot of Jesus’ cross, we realise that he is undergoing all this that we might share in his divine risen life, the life that enables us to share in the ‘Blessed Trinity of love, for whom our hearts are made’ (from the Divine Office).
Jesus comes among us and labours to reveal God’s love for us. He dies because he won’t change his message, which was so unacceptable to the leaders of his time. Above all he wanted to share his divine life with us - and he does. However, would we have been able to recognise his risen life, if he had not first died?
St Ignatius reminds us that love ought to show itself in deeds not just words, and that is what we see in the gift of God, which is his Son made flesh. Jesus revealed his love in deeds of many kinds, healing until he was exhausted - not even leaving time for himself to eat so that ‘his people thought him beside himself’ (Mk 3.20).
But his deeds of love are most manifest in his Passion. The word ‘passion’ suggests things being done to him and of course they were, all too much and too many, but Jesus was not inactive. He forgave, ‘Father, forgive them, they know not what they do’. What love to be able to forgive, even in the midst of the agony of being nailed to the cross! It makes our attempts to forgive so small. He even promised paradise that very day to a criminal who shared the death with him.
But it is his care for his mother and for us that I want to highlight. We have little understanding of the agony of the crucifixion. It is not a passive suffering because the crucified has to fight for breath. And it is only by putting his weight on the nails through his feet that he would be able to breathe properly. But that was agony too, so the crucified would slump again, driving the breath from his body and taking the weight on the nails of his wrists. So any speech uses precious air from his lungs, but none the less Jesus speaks for our benefit and his mother’s. As we listen to the account in John’s Gospel - remember the cost.
‘There stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary of Clopas and Mary the Magdalene. And so Jesus, seeing his mother, and the disciple standing by whom he loved, says to his mother, ‘Woman, look - your son.’ Then he says to the disciple, ‘Look - your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her to his own.
‘After this, Jesus, knowing that already everything was brought to perfection, in order that the scripture might be perfected, says, ‘I thirst.’ A vessel lay there, full of wine vinegar. And so, wrapping a sponge full of the vinegar on a piece of hyssop they offered it to his mouth. And when he had taken the vinegar, Jesus said, ‘It is perfected.’ And inclining his head, he handed over the Spirit.’ (Jn 19: 25-30) Let us pray that we too may stand by his cross and be with him as much as we can in his suffering, as we receive the gracious gifts of Mary as our mother and of the Spirit.
In the translation of the Gospels by Nicholas King SJ, which I have used in this article, his notes state: ‘Even the description of his death, which could equally well have been translated ‘he gave up his life’, is probably to be read as a royal distribution of the Spirit, or gift of the Spirit’.
Jesus dies in order to rise again with new life, which he shares with us. So as we stand at the foot of Jesus’ cross, we realise that he is undergoing all this that we might share in his divine risen life, the life that enables us to share in the ‘Blessed Trinity of love, for whom our hearts are made’ (from the Divine Office).
Jesus comes among us and labours to reveal God’s love for us. He dies because he won’t change his message, which was so unacceptable to the leaders of his time. Above all he wanted to share his divine life with us - and he does. However, would we have been able to recognise his risen life, if he had not first died?