The images, visions, and thoughts of what happened on Good Friday are hard to bear. Why the Cross? What does it mean for me and my path as a human being? Pope Benedict (2011, chapter eight) addresses these questions and shows us how we can understand God correctly. He explains that the mystery of the Cross is the heart of the proclamation of the Gospel that leads us to faith. The darkness of sin and the holiness of God come together on the Cross, going beyond our ability to understand. “For the Son of man did not came to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
Pope Benedict writes that God did not want to be glorified through animal sacrifices as in the Old Testament. Those sacrifices were powerless to make atonement for men. God’s preference for mankind’s atonement was made by the Lamb of God, who took upon himself the horrors and darkness of this world and restored our relationship with God. “The mystery of the Cross does not simply confront us, rather it draws us in and gives a new value to our life.” (p. 235). But we are not to remain passive recipients of divine righteousness, instead, as “his body” we must share “the incarnate love of Jesus Christ, a love that conquers all our insufficiency through the power of his holiness.” (p. 236).
“This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.” (John 15:12-14).
Ratzinger, J. Pope Benedict XVI. (2011). Jesus of Nazareth (Part Two) Holy Week: From the entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection. Ignatius Press.
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