It is an ongoing paradox that the Risen Christ’s victory comes through suffering and death. Yet, we know it always is that way. “Unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat. But if it dies, it produces much fruit.” (Jn. 12:24) The liturgy has been reliving the mystery and paradox of Jesus’ victory — and ours in Him — through death. It is a gruesome scene! Jesus’ best and most loving efforts, in the end, are misunderstood and rejected. He is ridiculed. He sweats blood, is tortured relentlessly and bears the excruciating pain and even more excruciating ignominy of the cross.

Through it all, God’s gratuitous love for all of us is revealed. A love which forgives, heals and redeems. A love which sparks the miracle of new life in us. Would that each of us could be in tune with St. Paul: “I have come to rate all as loss in the light of the surpassing knowledge of my Lord Jesus Christ. For his sake I have forfeited everything; I have accounted all else rubbish so that Christ may be my wealth and I may be in him....” (Phil. 3:8-9)

For very many people this year (including myself) the viewing of the movie, “The Passion of the Christ,” has deeply influenced their living this holy season in union with Christ. So many have told me that the movie made Christ’s suffering real for them in a new way. A number of parish pastors have commented to me that more people than ever attended the Good Friday services and that their reverence and prayerfulness was more noticeable than before.

While the film was very graphic about Christ’s suffering, people’s reaction was generally quite in accord with the Scriptures and our Catholic tradition: 1) awareness of the gravity of our sins and those of all mankind; 2) seeing through the sufferings to the awesome and gratuitous love of God for each and all of us.

Many of us would argue against the movie industry’s classification of the movie as “R.” It is not unreasonable to be skeptical of the rating since the industry tried to keep the movie off the screen. Christ’s sufferings are depicted as graphic and gruesome. But this is not violence for its own sake, like most violence in other movies or on television. Christ’s sufferings are redemptive and revelatory of God’s love for us. These are sufferings over which Christ triumphs; sufferings which lift us up and ennoble us — redeem us. People I have visited with — including adolescents — had no trouble in capturing this difference and profiting spiritually from the movie.

For the nay sayers, it could be useful to recall that the current complaints of some people against the graphic depiction of Christ’s sufferings are much the same as those voiced for hundreds of years against displaying the crucifix and other works of art depicting the suffering and death of Jesus, or making the Stations of the Cross. Catholics are quite used to these reactions.

For us, too, growth in the spiritual life means “dying” — like the grain of wheat — after the pattern of Jesus. As St. Paul says: “I wish to know Christ and the power flowing from his resurrection; likewise to know how to share in his sufferings by being formed into the pattern of his death.” (Phil. 3:10) Jesus several times stressed how a true disciple must “deny his very self, take up his cross, and follow in my steps.” (Mk. 8:34) There is no other way to new life and victory. As Jesus cautioned: “The one who loves his life loses it.” (Jn. 12:25)

A lot of dying is involved when we strive to straighten out our priorities, order the elements of our life, and focus more centrally on the Lord Jesus. In order to spend more time in prayer and Scripture, for example, one has to die a bit to other interests. To grow in love of others, we deny ourselves the “pleasure” of an unkind remark. To grow in love and awareness of God, one strives to spend time with the Lord. To grow in chastity, we strive to discipline ourselves and avoid the occasions of sin. Each aspect of spiritual growth requires a certain dying in order to live more fully.

There are, in addition, the daily dyings involved in marriage; in ministry. There are the dyings inevitable in study, business and civic involvement. There are the burdens and disappointments; there are sickness, financial reverses and crosses of all kinds. Like Jesus in Gethsemane, we might pray: “Father, if it is your will, take this cup from me.” But, in the end, we try to enter into the cross, consciously accept it in union with Jesus: “Yet not my will but yours be done.” (Lk. 22:40)

But isn’t this Easter time? Aren’t we finished with the cross for a while? No, not really; it is all one reality. You cannot have Christ’s victorious resurrection without his suffering and death. It is the Paschal Mystery — Christ passes through suffering and death to victorious new life — and in Him we do the same.

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