What Passion?

Several years ago Mel Gibson produced the movie, The Passion of Christ. I have seen it several times and each time except the first I have found an aversion to watching a film depicting such horrible violence. Each time I was almost sick by the time the film ended. I heard a secular commentary once how the film was about nothing. That it had no meaning other than insatiable brutality and base cruelty. Without a doubt on face value that might seem true.

Today is Passion Sunday. So in keeping with the urging of the Church I have been pondering, especially this morning, the passion of Jesus. It would seem in order to do this with any hope of understanding one would be required to consider the meaning and the extent of love. I have signed many of my books, with this small lesson, “In all things seek love. In the end that’s all there is. In that you will be the best you can be.” In this search I have found only one truth, that love is infinite. Logic tells me that this is the only possibility and that God and love are synonymous. How can they be anything other than one and the same? So for this reason and for the sake of clarification I will use the word Love instead of the word God.

It would then seem to follow that Love could in no way be withheld from that which it created. That simply would not be part of its nature. Furthermore, there could be no limit to Loves desire to gather us human creations to itself. It certainly would be within our understanding that even we mortals wish to gather those we love. That is simply our human nature. The difference is the degree we might go to demonstrate our love, which no doubt has limitations.

On the other hand how might an unlimited Love be shown? I think that there would be few who would doubt that laying ones life down for another would be ample demonstration of the pinnacle of human love. On the other hand, it would seem that infinite love would be demonstrated with nothing less than laying down ones life in the most humiliating, horrific, agonizingly painful way. Mel Gibson had it right. This is how it must have been. Giving every last inch of humanity in the most excruciating way. This is the only way for me to make sense of the passion of Jesus. How could complete and total Love be proven in any other way? Come. He only wants to be your friend! Later.