Passion goes on

By Tony Staley
Compass Editor

Holy Week related articles ... • Bp. Zubik to preside at liturgies and bless food Holy Saturday • Auxiliary Bishop Morneau --     Experience the real, living Jesus • Fr. Richard Ver Bust --     Early hymns expressed belief in Jesus • Editorial -- Reading and waiting • Foundations of Faith --     Devotion to Christ's Passion has a long history • Tom Rinkoski --     Cancel resistance and listen next week • Praying with Sunday's Scriptures     • Sidebar: Readings for the Week

During Lent, Christians have filled theaters to watch Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ.

The movie provided ample material for Lenten reflection on the enormity of Jesus' sacrifice for all our sins for which he died.

The film's graphic, prolonged and agonizing detail of Jesus' sufferings are hard to endure - for him and for us as viewers.

Lent
• Lent-related articles

Sadly, the Body of Christ continues to absorb an incredible beating. This beating is administered billions of times daily to people suffering from hunger, physical and sexual abuse, economic exploitation, unjust imprisonment, torture, disease, abortion, euthanasia, war, political upheaval, mental and physical disabilities, addictions to alcohol and other drugs.

St. Paul said, "All of us, in union with Christ, form one body, and as parts of it, we belong to each other" (Rom 12:5). As parts of this one body, we share in that abuse. And, just as we all were partners in Jesus' Passion, we are helping torture the Body of Christ today. We do it with what we buy or don't buy and through the politicians we support - no matter their party or how they vote on abortion, war with Iraq, free trade or anything else - because all issues, all people, are interrelated and none of us is without sin or guilt. None of us is free to cast stones on our own behalf or for anyone else.

While we will never know a perfect world, we must never stop working to make this world better. As Jesus said, the poor will always be with us. But notice, Jesus did not say that was OK. Rather, he said, we will be judged on whether we give him - in the person of the least of our brothers and sisters - food when he is hungry, drink when she is thirsty, companionship when he is sick or in prison, and clothes when she is naked.

The Passion of Christ challenges us to help shoulder Jesus' cross when we see someone struggling as Simon of Cyrene did and to wipe Jesus' bleeding or sweat-drenched face as Veronica did. Or we can wash our hands of him as Pilate did, turn away or demand his death as others did or gleefully mock, torture and crucify him as the Roman soldiers did in The Passion of the Christ.

We know what Jesus would do. What will we do?