Three years ago this month, the topic of conversation when one spoke of film was Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ.” It seems that many were divided on the nature of the film. Some thought it too dark, too grotesque, too bloody. Some thought that it presented violent images that might evoke anti-Semitic reactions.

I thought the film to be one of the most important to come out in years. Why? Simply put, the film put the spotlight once again squarely on Jesus. We focused once again on the tremendous suffering that Jesus underwent for us and for our salvation. The crucifixion of Christ was not neat; it was not clean; it was not nice. Jesus, the Son of God, the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity, opens His arms wide on the cross in an embrace of love for you and me. He suffers and He dies for you and me. Jesus’ one, single act of total self-abandonment, total self-giving saves the cosmos for all eternity.

On that hill on Calvary, time and eternity meet, justice and truth kiss, all of reality is healed of the tragic rift that had alienated the human race from God. At Golgotha, the process of healing the wound inflicted by the sin of hubris (pride) of our first parents, Adam and Eve, has begun. The radical, extreme humility of Jesus, who is all Truth, all Beauty, all Goodness, all Love, conquers the pride that led Adam and Eve to forget their place in the order of creation: God is God and we’re not.

Jesus, the suffering servant, allows Himself to enter into the fiercest little human drama ever imaginable. What factors lead the Lord to this place of pain, and to the eyes of the world, a place of shame? It is the jealousy of the Sanhedrin and the Pharisees, afraid of change, frightened to open their eyes to the truth of the Messiah in their midst. It is the cruelty and the ignorance of the Romans who see the whole affair as inconsequential to their empire making plans. It is the insecurity of Pilate, in his attempts to always be liked by authority, in his consistent refusal to manifest a backbone and to make a stand for what he knows is correct. It is the greed and impatience of Judas Iscariot, who expected a very different type of Messiah than the meek and humble of heart carpenter’s son. It is the fear and anxiety of Peter, the braggart and tough guy who runs away when trouble arises. It is all these factors that Christ suffers. However, the key factor has not yet been mentioned.

It is Jesus’ intense, burning love for you and me that holds Him transfixed to the cross. Simply put, Jesus loves you. Were you the only person ever to be born, Jesus would have suffered the same, just for you. Pure love allows Love incarnate to make this ultimate sacrifice.

As we enter into this Holy Week, may we be aware of the true sacrifice of God the Son for us and for our salvation. Our sins may have nailed Christ to the cross, but it is His love for us individually that keeps Him there.

Father Cush is on the faculty of Cathedral Preparatory Seminary, Elmhurst.

Readings for Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion:

Isaiah 50:4-7
Psalms 22: 8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24
Philippians 2: 6-11
Luke 22:14-23:56