We are—all of us—sitting on a lot of unresolved rage. Thomas Aquinas defines the deadly sin of anger in his typically pithy manner as an irrational or excessive desire for revenge. Every one of us has been hurt by someone else, aggressed, unjustly harmed, insulted, perhaps to an extreme degree. And so, naturally enough, we harbor a desire to respond in kind.
As unpleasant a prospect it may seem, love of enemy is the foundation of our Christian faith and the pursuit of which can only lead to an increasingly grace-filled life.
That utopia, the promise of paradise, is a hope, propelled by faith, beyond this material world. It is the goal that makes us persist in our search for God. For only in him can we find our true nature and the ultimate essence of love.
Life is meaningless without true love, and true love can only be imbued in us through God, who is the source of all charity. Finally, at life’s end, a soul’s judgement will be based upon his capacity to love.
Jesus’ acceptance of his Passion and Death, and the subsequent Resurrection, are a call to be present in the moment, to be accepting of whatever trial or triumph we may have to face today, with a love that attempts to equal his.
The sacrificial love of the Cross resulted in the Resurrection for Jesus. The same applies to us in a world where love has been denigrated to the status of just an emotional experience. We need to be ready and willing to practice charity in truth at whatever cost to bring back any semblance of peace and sanity to our world.
Shame can deal a debilitating blow that can invalidate our very existence. Yes, Jesus defeated death, but Peter’s shame remained due to his betrayal of Our Lord. He felt unworthy to be one of Jesus’ disciples, let alone their leader. Peter is a perfect example. Jesus, therefore, not only offered His forgiveness to Peter, but also restored his identity, not only as “fisher of men,” but also as shepherd of the Church: “Tend my sheep, feed them!”
Easter is that time of the year when every Catholic must remember that there is life beyond a physical death, and it is that life in Jesus that we must look toward.
Evil and violence have become normalized in the modern world. However, the account of Jesus’ Passion looks beyond mere evil actions, to the reasoning behind His suffering, the eternal love that He affords us through it all.