Jesus' Passion

With the Fifth Week of Lent the church sharpens its focus on the passion of Jesus. The phrase paschal mystery reminds that his passion is not separate from his resurrection. The relation between the two is intrinsic: no resurrection without the passion, and the passion has no meaning with out the resurrection. The risen Lord is both dead and risen. St. Paul could not say either one: It is Christ (Jesus) who died, rather, was raised, who also is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us (Romans 8.34).

Yet our limited minds need to look at things separately. Fr. Ronald Rolheiser, O.M.I., is a helpful guide to understand better the passion of Jesus. In a still-current 2008 Catholic Update, Fr. Rolheiser both surveys the passion and highlights the message of love Jesus' passion fulfilled. He mentions Dr. Martin Luther King's experience to make Jesus' passion concrete and to illustrate its "moment of grace."
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