Final homily in my series of four on How Different People View the Cross. It runs 17 minutes, but that's because I included the Gospel, because it really should be read in a specific way.
Click here to listen or download (15-17 minutes)
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Usually people think of Jesus as being brave or generous or loving because He came to earth and suffered for us. Nice thing for a God to do! But because they unintentionally forget His humanity, they don't see that He also had real human courage in the face of pain and loss, and real human faith in the face of darkness and doubt. St. Paul speaks of Christ's faith; Hebrews commends Jesus and Abraham for their faith that God can raise up beyond the grave. Faith has to do with what we cannot clearly see. How can we speak of any fear and doubt for Jesus to overcome? The Letter to the Philippians says Jesus "emptied himself" to become like us, possessing a fully human mind, body, will, and emotions. Somewhere in the mysterious interplay of the human and divine, Jesus could really feel "abandoned", and yet He chose to belief, and commended His life into His Father's hands.
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