I am re-reading Ron Rolheiser’s book The Passion and the Cross this Lent. Each page prepares me to listen to the Passion Narratives read during Holy Week with more intent. Called “the ultimate revelation of God,” the cross will tell us who God is.
What does the cross reveal about God? When Jesus Christ died, the veil in the Temple was torn in two. There was no longer any separation between people and God. When we see the heart pierced by a lance, the face marred by thorns and spittle, the mangled body, we see the God-Man who allowed such cruelty imposed on him. We see our non-violent, love-filled, peace-filled Lord. We see the goodness that answers the question for all time: “Why didn’t God do something?” about the evils in the world. God did do something: God acted in a divine way, nonviolently, vulnerably.
How can we better follow Christ in his vulnerability, his acceptance of the pain and humiliation imposed upon him? Perhaps we rarely suffer physical blows, but we often endure psychological ones. At those times we can hold back retorts, direct our thoughts away from self-centeredness and self-pity, and wish the other person well. Those are small ways that rip the veil that separates us. May we see beyond the veil hiding their goodness.
One Response
Sr. Melannie’s blog today is about asking questions. Your question is definitely one we hear a lot today, “Why doesn’t God do something?” Maybe God is asking, “Why don’t you do something?” Matthew Kelly asks the same today on his Lenten program: “What are you doing for the imprisoned?”