Passion Sunday A - 17 April 2011 By Fr. (Valentine) Vally de Souza SJ
A Scandal and Madness
The early Christians knew it. Their faith in a crucified God could only be regarded as a scandal and madness. Who could have thought of saying something so absurd and horrible about God? No religion has ever dared to profess anything similar.
Clearly, the first thing we all discover in the one crucified at Golgotha, unjustly tortured unto death by religious authorities and political powers, is the destructive power of evil, the cruelty of hate, and the fanaticism of lies. But, precisely in that innocent victim, the followers of Jesus see a God identified with all the victims of all times.
Stripped of all dominating power, of all aesthetic beauty, of all political success and religious aura, God reveals himself to us in the purest and unfathomable essence of his mystery as love and only love. There is not, nor will there ever be, an unfeeling, apathetic and indifferent God; only a God who suffers with us, undergoes our suffering, and dies our death.
This crucified God is not a powerful, controlling God, who tries to subjugate his children, always seeking his glory and honor. He is a humble and patient God, who respects the freedom of the human being to the end, even though we abuse his love time and again. He prefers to be a victim of his creatures rather than an executioner.
This crucified God is not the punishing, resentful and vengeful God who still troubles the consciences of many believers. God does not respond to evil with evil from the cross. “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.” ( 2 Cor. 5,19).While we wrangle about merits, blame, and acquired rights, God welcomes us all with his unfathomable love and forgiveness.
This crucified God reveals himself today in all innocent victims. He is on the cross on Calvary and on all the crosses where the most innocent suffer and die: hungry children, battered women, those tortured by executioners linked to those in power, those exploited by our well-being, those forgotten by our religion.
Christians continue to celebrate a crucified God, in order never to forget the love of God “unto folly” for humanity and to keep alive the memory of all the crucified ones. It is a scandal and madness. But for those of us who follow Jesus and believe in the mystery of redemption hidden in his death, there lies in it the power that sustains our hope and our struggle for a more humane world.
**********Proclaim Christ crucified.*******************
Source: URL of José Antonio Pagola's Buenas Noticias Web site http://sanvicentemartirdeabando.org
Website for Spanish original and translations: www.eclesalia.net
Jose Antonio Pagola, vgentza@euskalnet.net , San Sebastian, Guipuzcoa, Spain.
- English Translation and sent to BBN by Fr. (Valentine) Vally de Souza SJ.
Email: vallydesouza@jesuits.net, Mandal, Gujarat , India.
A Scandal and Madness
Clearly, the first thing we all discover in the one crucified at Golgotha, unjustly tortured unto death by religious authorities and political powers, is the destructive power of evil, the cruelty of hate, and the fanaticism of lies. But, precisely in that innocent victim, the followers of Jesus see a God identified with all the victims of all times.
Stripped of all dominating power, of all aesthetic beauty, of all political success and religious aura, God reveals himself to us in the purest and unfathomable essence of his mystery as love and only love. There is not, nor will there ever be, an unfeeling, apathetic and indifferent God; only a God who suffers with us, undergoes our suffering, and dies our death.
This crucified God is not a powerful, controlling God, who tries to subjugate his children, always seeking his glory and honor. He is a humble and patient God, who respects the freedom of the human being to the end, even though we abuse his love time and again. He prefers to be a victim of his creatures rather than an executioner.
This crucified God is not the punishing, resentful and vengeful God who still troubles the consciences of many believers. God does not respond to evil with evil from the cross. “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.” ( 2 Cor. 5,19).While we wrangle about merits, blame, and acquired rights, God welcomes us all with his unfathomable love and forgiveness.
This crucified God reveals himself today in all innocent victims. He is on the cross on Calvary and on all the crosses where the most innocent suffer and die: hungry children, battered women, those tortured by executioners linked to those in power, those exploited by our well-being, those forgotten by our religion.
Christians continue to celebrate a crucified God, in order never to forget the love of God “unto folly” for humanity and to keep alive the memory of all the crucified ones. It is a scandal and madness. But for those of us who follow Jesus and believe in the mystery of redemption hidden in his death, there lies in it the power that sustains our hope and our struggle for a more humane world.
**********Proclaim Christ crucified.*******************
Source: URL of José Antonio Pagola's Buenas Noticias Web site http://sanvicentemartirdeabando.org
Website for Spanish original and translations: www.eclesalia.net
Jose Antonio Pagola, vgentza@euskalnet.net , San Sebastian, Guipuzcoa, Spain.
- English Translation and sent to BBN by Fr. (Valentine) Vally de Souza SJ.
Email: vallydesouza@jesuits.net, Mandal, Gujarat , India.
Your Comments and greetings will be sent directly to Fr. Vally de Souza SJ. Please write your comments in the below given box.
Fr. (Valentine) Vally de Souza SJ for the translation.
Hello, my name is Jack Sparrow. I'm a 50 year old self-employed Pirate from the Caribbean. 
Dear Fr. Vally.
ReplyDeleteNever met you such personality. thank you very much and keep providing us the sermons. it does help oneself. Thank you Father, thank you BBN.
Father
ReplyDeleteCongratulations !!!