When life isn't what God intended

By Bishop David A. Zubik

	Bishop David Zubik

In last week's issue of The Compass, I was happy to share my thoughts and first reaction to the recently-released Mel Gibson film, The Passion of the Christ. As I have had more time to reflect on the powerful and convincing and graphic and beautiful rendition of the last hours of Jesus' life, I have also had the opportunity to once again "connect the dots" of Jesus' action to the life of our Church and to my own life.

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One of the overwhelming reactions of those who have had a chance to see the film is an identification with the very real pain which Jesus experienced: in the Garden of Gethsemane; in the trial before Pilate; in the scourging at the pillar; in the carrying of the cross; and on the hill of Calvary.

In praying over the Gospels, we find that Jesus' passion began long before His final hours. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John reveal Jesus' passion for the salvation of all of us. They portray the pain that Jesus felt when things were not quite right with the people whom he met.

	Related articles ... • Editorial -- Worthy viewing from the Feb. 27, 2004 issue: • 'Passion' film earns plaudits • Bp. Zubik: 'Passion' shows God's love • Catholic film office reviews 'The Passion'

When Jesus met someone whose heart had become hardened by sin, he experienced the passion. When Jesus saw a blind person who was in danger of walking into a stumbling block, he felt the passion. When Jesus encountered a deaf person who was helplessly abused by another's offensive language, he knew the passion. When Jesus met a day laborer who was prevented from taking home a proper wage, he encountered the passion.

Clearly, because God experienced the pain of our separation from Him, he designed the ultimate solution to that separation by sending His Son to become one like us in all things but sin.

On the night before he died, as Jesus gathered to celebrate the Passover Feast with His disciples, he clearly passed on His mission to them, a mission that, through them, has been passed on to the Church. And, as Church, we share in the passion of Christ and in the pain that he felt.

Over the course of the last week, I have thought about our Church and our share in the passion and the pain of Christ.

As the people of Lena gathered together to bid farewell to a young woman still in her teens who died at the war in Iraq, the Church shared in the pain of her parents, siblings, grandparents, friends, neighbors and relatives alike as we stood with them in prayer. As such, we too share in the passion of Christ.

As the John Jay Study was released with the chronicle of clergy sexual abuse over the course of the last 52 years, we as Church once again shared in the pain of those who have been hurt by the actions of some in our Church as we seek to reach out to them to offer tangible help. As such, we too share in the passion of Christ.

As a jury decided the fate of one of our own priests accused of harming others, we as Church asked God for His mercy and forgiveness. As such, we too share in the passion of Christ.

As the world witnessed the unraveling of a government in Haiti, we as Church recommit ourselves to work for peace and to look for ways to reach out to its citizens hurt by political unrest and violence. As such, we too share in the passion of Christ.

As our society, sadly, is faced with challenges to the very institution of marriage, we continue as Church to stand up in and to our society by reaffirming what marriage is intended by God to be: a union between one man and one woman. As such, we too share in the passion of Christ.

In each of these experiences, and in many more, like Jesus, we experience the pain that happens when life is not what God intended life to be. As such, we too share in the passion of Christ.

In Mel Gibson's portrayal of The Passion of the Christ, during the most excruciating scenes of pain in the life of Jesus, there were so many flashbacks of tender moments in Jesus' life: the forgiveness of a woman caught in sin; the washing of the Apostles' feet; the passing on of the mission of Christ to the Apostles at the Last Supper; the first sharing of the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Jesus in the "upper room." All of these are a reminder of what we, as Church, need to do in response to the pain that is part of a broken world. We are called to share in the passion of Christ.

It is important to always remember how the story of Jesus' passion and death ended - with the glory of the Resurrection. As Jesus persevered toward that end (or should I say that "beginning"), we, as Church, need to do as much.

As we continue to reflect on the passion of the Christ, we seek evermore to reach out to others, and especially to our world, with courage, conviction and compassion. As a people of hope, like the Christ, we look forward to sharing in Jesus' ultimate victory over sin and death - an Easter that is more than a date in April, but a promised reality at the end of our life's journey.