Why was our salvation brought about this way? There are many reasons, but one is because God wanted to convert our hard hearts. Sometimes we fail to see the wrong we are committing until someone gets hurt. I remember when I was child, there was a boy who wanted to be friends. I was in a clique, and we really tried to include him; but there was something different about him which frustrated us. I remember one day standing around him in a circle and seeing one of my friends push him down and kick him in the stomach. I remember the boy curling up into a ball and wailing. This is when I recognized that I wasn’t doing right. In order for us to see how wrong we were, God allowed his Son to undergo this assault by humanity. It was our greatest sin. We killed the most innocent among us; not only that, but the one who intended to give us salvation and eternal life, the greatest gift. Let us be grateful to Christ for willingly accepting our abuse, in order that we could see our sinfulness, in order to see how lost we were. The crucifixion is the proper symbol of the Christian faith because it reveals the depth of God’s love, even in the face of humanity’s greatest sin. This should shatter our hearts and our self-trust, such that we again place our complete trust and hearts in God. Then we may truly participate in his resurrection.
Note to Self: The humble crowd rejoiced at Christ’s entrance into the city, into their lives. It was those who did not want their lives disrupted, those in power, that instigated hatred toward Christ. Thus, the crucifixion came about through misuse of power toward lust of worldly things. To sin, is to misuse the freedom God has given us, and it results in the death of authentic and graced humanity, but which can be resurrected.
You gave a pointed example from your life to illustrate a profound reality. It is so true that we often don’t recognize the wrong we are doing. We are numb to sin and to the presence of Christ abiding presence. “Through my fault, through my most grievous fault.”
Thank you for the reminder to myself….as long as I am living in myself and not the Lord Jesus Christ free gift of salvation nothing will change within my thoughts, actions and words. God Bless you Father Jason. I can also relate to treating people without the mercy, love and acceptance that Jesus exampled on earth.