The True Meaning of Passion: A Meditation on Christ’s Crucifixion

Passion is an intense word that today conjures images of a compelling, romantic force such as the one that drove star-crossed lovers like Romeo and Juliet to commit suicide. In the modern world, it is easy to forget that the word passion has much more ancient roots than that, coming from the Latin verb pati, which translates into English as to suffer. The essence of passion is suffering, and passion only ended up being associated with love because love often results in some amount of suffering.

This older definition of passion as suffering out of love is what medieval playwrights were referring to when they described performances depicting the death of Jesus as Passion plays and that Mel Gibson’s more contemporary Passion of the Christ offers homage to. Such performances provide a visual reminder of the pain Jesus endured on the cross out of a loving desire to save all of humanity. When we see the nails pierce Christ’s flesh, we realize that it is our sin cutting into His skin. While we watch the blood pour out of His broken body, we know that it is His blood that cleanses us. We recognize that He is giving His body to His beloved bride, the Church He established on Earth. We have all the proof we could ever need that the heart of passion isn’t about getting; it’s about giving: giving love, hope, and inspiration. Too often as fallen creatures we look to loved ones to sacrifice on our behalf or boost our sprits when the truth is that love is more about sharing all of us—sweat, body, soul, blood, and heart—with someone else. That someone else can be Christ but it can also be anyone else in the entire world and all of human history for whom He willingly gave His life to save.

Even centuries removed from the grim day, Christ’s death is difficult and hurtful to contemplate, but the pain we feel is a healing one. It’s the anguish that comes from being reminded of how much suffering our sins caused Jesus, the God Who loves us more than anybody else possibly could. To weep over Christ’s wounds is to know that you inflicted this pain upon Him, but it is also to be overcome by the loving truth that if you were the only person who ever existed, Jesus would still choose to die on the cross to save you from your sins, because that is how deeply committed Christ is to reuniting all of us to Himself in Heaven, although that rocky road—commemorated in the Way of the Cross–– to reunion was laden with agony for our Savior.

 

 

 

My Soul is a Stained Glass Window: The Ethereal Beauty of Reconciliation

I confess to Almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that today I went to a special Lenten Reconciliation service. As it often is at such events, the music, including one of my favorite hymns Hosea, was achingly beautiful, not dour but focused more on repentance and forgiveness than upon sin and its consequences.

Without going into the sordid details of the transgressions I confessed to, I’ll say that while I’m waiting for my turn to speak to the priest I’m always a trembling bundle of nerves, convinced I’m the most vile creature in human history. Seriously, my ardent prayers to St. Peter to give me the courage to repent my sins just like he did after that cock crowed for the third time are probably the only explanation for my not fleeing from the Church, screaming like a banshee. St. Peter has really been very generous to me over the years, keeping me company in a spiritual sense as I bite off my nails before Reconciliation. I picture him in Heaven with a harp, hearing my fervent entreaties and saying, “Ah, she’s at Confession again. Better help her out. She can’t do this on her own. She’s nearly had a nervous breakdown already.”

The raw truth is it’s just not easy to admit to someone else that your soul has gotten quite dirty. Most of us want to present a good face to the world. That’s why we smile politely at someone whom we’re fighting the overwhelming urge to strangle. We’d like everybody to believe that our inside is as clean and beautiful as the outside we present to the world. Unfortunately, that isn’t true, and Reconciliation, painfully and wonderfully, reminds us of that fact. Reconciliation humbles us because it teaches us that, no matter how forcefully we scrub at our exteriors, we can’t clean our interiors.

At the same time, Reconciliation heals our wounds and dries our tears, since it assures us that we don’t need to clean our interiors; Jesus will gladly do that for us as long as we can swallow our egos long enough to make such a request of Him. That’s why, however nervous and miserable I am before Reconciliation, I always walk away from the sacrament feeling utterly overcome by the strength of God’s love for me. Like the Bible says, I know that He has put my sins as far away from me as the East is from the West, and that, though my sins were like scarlet, they became as white as snow. I feel weightless, because I’m blissfully free of the burden of sin. The long moments leading up to Reconciliation are painful and humbling, but they make the moments after Reconciliation all the more beautiful and awe-inspiring.

I wasn’t the only one who sought God’s forgiveness today. The pews were packed as they normally are at such services, and that, incidentally, is one of the reasons why I never actually accept dire prognoses about the Catholic Church dying out in America. Sure, there are a lot of struggling Catholics in America, but when it comes down to it, most of them just want to find comfort and safety in the rich heritage of our faith. That’s why lines to use the confessionals are always so long at Lenten Reconciliation services. In the deep recesses of his or her soul, almost every Catholic has a homing beacon that tells him or her that the sacrament of Reconciliation is the ticket to finding the Alpha and the Omega.

Tragically, over the centuries since the Protestant Reformation and the growth of secularism, this lovely, healing sacrament has been misrepresented and vilified by a veritable host of non-Catholics who take a lot of umbrage at a religious rite nobody is going to force them to participate in. Many have misconceptions about the sacrament of Reconciliation often simultaneously subscribing to such contradictory opinions that Reconciliation is at once too humiliating to be a good venue for attaining God’s forgiveness and that Reconciliation much too easily can be a sham of repentance, allowing someone to gain forgiveness for sins they are not sorry for committing. This post aims to deal with some of those wrong ideas, so that Catholics will feel more comfortable availing themselves of this healing sacrament, and non-Catholics will at least have a better sense of what actually goes on in a confessional. As always, the objective of this post isn’t to confront anyone; it’s just to explain the Catholic perspective that can seem a bit strange to outsiders. Getting down to business, let’s answer the first common question:

Isn’t going to Reconciliation really embarrassing? Why would Jesus want to put you through that kind of torture?

Going to Reconciliation is humiliating but in the best possible sense of being a purely humbling experience. Reconciliation isn’t about being bullied by a priest. It’s about being a mature Christian prepared to admit to your sins aloud. This short video does a great and engaging job of explaining how Jesus and the Church want you to perceive Reconciliation, and this one articulates quite well why Catholics are not actually being masochistic by confessing their sins to a priest. Reconciliation strips us of our pride for a few moments, but that isn’t a bad thing, because, all too often, it’s our pride that prevents us from experiencing Christ’s grace. Ultimately, we put ourselves through the agony of our sins. Reconciliation just helps us realize how painful our sins are for ourselves and others, as well as providing a channel for us to be delivered of the eternal agony associated with committing those sins. Through Reconciliation, Jesus doesn’t put us through torture; He heals us. Perhaps the rubbing alcohol stings at first, but ultimately it’s cleansing.

Why don’t you just confess your sins to Jesus and trust Him to forgive you?

Like most Protestants, Catholics will repent of their sins every night when they say their prayers before bed. That means Catholics confess their sins to Jesus every day and trust Him to forgive them. A Catholic’s daily prayers are like brushing his or her teeth twice a day, and going to Reconciliation is akin to visiting the dentist for routine cleanings. It should also be understood that, during Reconciliation, the priest is considered in the person of Christ, so while participating in this sacrament, a Catholic is confessing his or her sins to Jesus and trusting Him to forgive him or her.

Why involve a priest, though? Do you really believe that he has the power to forgive your sins?

Catholics speak to a priest during the sacrament of Reconciliation, because we sincerely believe that was what Jesus was instructing us to do when He told us to confess our sins to one another. We believe that when Christ sent His apostles out to forgive others as He had forgiven them that mission did not end with His apostles and is still being carried out by His Church today. In a nutshell, we believe that priests can absolve us of our sins through the sacrament of Reconciliation because God, Who is the ultimate authority in the universe, gave them that power. This can be a difficult concept to explain to those who don’t believe in apostolic succession, but this video along with this one provides a solid start in beginning to understand why Catholics confess their sins to a priest during the sacrament of Reconciliation.

Isn’t Reconciliation a really easy way to receive forgiveness? Can’t you just tell yourself that you’ll be going to Reconciliation tomorrow, so it’s no big deal if you sin since you can just receive forgiveness anyway?

I’ve never heard a Catholic speak about going to Reconciliation in a casual way. Without exception, every Catholic I’ve ever heard talk about Reconciliation acknowledges that the moments leading up to it are painful and humbling. Nobody who has waited with knocking knees to account for their sins would consider the process something easy. That being said, any Catholic who thinks before committing a sin, “Well, it’s no big deal if I do this because I can just go to Reconciliation and be forgiven for it later,” is also guilty of the separate, serious sin of presumption. This separate, serious sin would need to be confessed to as well in order for forgiveness to be obtained, and you can imagine that penance might be a bit more severe in this case…

Can I trust the priest not to go blabbing my sins in his next homily?

You can absolutely trust a priest to keep whatever you say to him during the sacrament of Reconciliation private. Church law requires priests to remain confidential about the sins confessed to them. Not only does this mean that a priest can’t tell a third party about your misadventures, it also means that the priest himself cannot bring your sins up to you once he has spoken the absolution. As the penitent, you are at liberty to tell Father Tom about how you are progressing with your lying problem or your cursing problem, but Father Tom can’t ask you about those things while your shaking his hand after Mass. Any priest who dared to shout your particular sins from the pulpit would be committing a grave violation of canon law, rest assured.

I’ve learned a lot about Reconciliation, but I want to discover more. Where else can I turn to for information?

Online Scott Hahn has an excellent lecture on the topic, as does Father Micheal Payyapilly. In person, whether you are Catholic or non-Catholic, you can always visit your local parish to set up an appointment with a priest to answer any questions you might have about Reconciliation or any other sacrament.

 

Meatless Fridays and Ashes on Wednesday: Why Catholics are Such Weirdos during Lent

As a Catholic reared in a predominantly Catholic Italian and Irish suburb of New York City, I basically grew up believing that the terms Catholic and Christian were synonyms. It wasn’t until history class in high school that I learned about other types of Christians like Protestants and Orthodox, and it wasn’t until I attended college in the heart of the evangelical south that I realized that there were entire denominations of Christians who were sincerely mystified by the elaborate Catholic rituals that I was brought up to love and appreciate. That doesn’t begin to cover the large numbers of non-Christians that are probably similarly baffled by our quaint Catholic devotions.

This post isn’t intended to convert anyone, to argue with any person of different religious persuasions (or no religious persuasions). It’s just a guide to what Catholics do during Lent and why, because, from an outsider’s perspective, I’m sure that the weirdness commences on Ash Wednesday when we come to work or school with dark splotches on our foreheads and continues every Friday with us scowling down at our lunch of PB&J as we fervently wish it was a ham and cheese sandwich. In a nutshell, the purpose of this post is to help non-Catholics understand the confusing world that Catholics inhabit and to give them useful tips to prevent them from putting their foot in their mouth when they speak to Catholics this Lent. There are over one billion of us with varying degrees of devotion in the world, so for a bit of insight into our wackiness I answer the subsequent FAQ’s and offer the following tips. Feel free to submit questions if you are still confused by any Catholic Lenten customs, and I’ll do my best to clarify some of our more peculiar ancient traditions. Now, getting down to business:

What is this Lent that you speak of? Is it another word for lint that I need to vacuum or something?

Nope, Lent is not another term for lint, but it does involve a sort of spring cleaning, so you’re on the right track if your mind went to vacuuming. Lent is a forty-day period of the Catholic liturgical calendar devoted to soul cleansing, repentance, and turning back to the Lord. Lent starts on Ash Wednesday and goes through Holy Thursday. Following Lent, there is the Triduum that includes Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. When Triduum ends, Easter Sunday arrives to the delight of Catholics the worldwide. Many Catholics commemorate Lent by fasting, donating to charities, attending the sacrament of Reconciliation, and giving up some treat or indulgence to connect with Jesus’ suffering on behalf of sinful humanity. This quick video provides a succinct and visual description of Lent, so you might find it enjoyable and informative.

Why forty days? Is that a totally arbitrary number or is there a deeper spiritual significance?

As homage to the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert in the Gospels and the forty years that the Israelites spent in the desert as depicted in the book of Exodus, Lent is forty days long. Therefore, it is not an arbitrary number, but rather a number selected for its religious symbolism within the heritage of Catholicism.

Why do you have ashes on your forehead? Don’t you know it looks like you forgot to take a shower?

Catholics go to a church service to receive ashes on their forehead on Ash Wednesday, the opening day of Lent, in order to demonstrate their sorrow for their sinfulness, re-commit their lives to Jesus to start a holy season that they pray will bring them closer to Christ, and to gain a reminder of their own mortality. When ashes are rubbed on a Catholic’s forehead by a priest or a deacon, the Catholic is either instructed to repent and believe in the Gospel or else to remember that we come from dust and we’ll return to dust.

Are ashes a sign that you consider yourself holier than others?

No way. It’s actually a sign of the opposite, because any Catholic walking around with ashes on his or her forehead is admitting that he or she is a sinner in need of God’s saving grace. Ashes indicate that a Catholic is sorry for his or her sins and is dedicated himself or herself to following the Gospel. They do not suggest that a Catholic thinks that he or she is better than anybody not walking around with ashes. Please don’t interpret this ancient religious behavior as snobbery when it is actually an act of abasement. It’s intended to be no more arrogant than kneeling or praying.

Why do you fast on Good Friday? Are you trying to starve yourself?

Catholics fast on Good Friday as a reminder of the pain Jesus endured on the Cross for all of humanity’s sake. The Catholic isn’t trying to starve any more than a Muslim fasting during Ramadan is attempting to die of hunger. The Catholic’s focus is on getting closer to God by focusing on the needs of the spirit rather than on the desires of the flesh. For this day, food takes a backseat to prayer. On days of fasting, it is also traditional to devote any money that would have otherwise gone to food to charity.

Why do you give up chocolate or coffee? Are you on some weird diet?

Catholics aren’t trying to lose weight by avoiding an indulgence like chocolate or coffee. This is just another small way that Catholics can show their repentance for their sins during Lent and can attempt to pay more attention to God by turning away from more physical desires to key in on more spiritual needs. That’s why you shouldn’t be offended if you offer us a Twix and we refuse you with a sad mutter about Lent. It’s nothing personal. It’s just our religion trying to build up our appetite for chocolate Easter eggs and bunnies.

Why can’t you eat meat on Fridays during Lent? Are you temporarily vegetarian?

Abstaining from meat on Friday is a typical penitential act during Lent, so you will see Catholics packing meatless lunches on that day, or else going with fish, since fish is not classified as a meat. You will also probably see some Catholics groaning when they realize that it’s Friday and all they have is a bologna sandwich for lunch, a sight that might provoke amusement and confusion in an outsider, but will invariably draw forth a sympathetic and similar story from a fellow Catholic. You’ll also see Catholics abstaining from meat on Ash Wednesday even though it isn’t a Friday, because it is a day devoted to fasting and repentance.

Got any tips on dealing with Catholics during Lent?

Of course I do. Here are some ways that you can avoid creating awkward moments with a Catholic during Lent:

1)      Don’t point and stare at the ashes on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday. We know that Ash Wednesday can be a bit of a “Spot the Catholic” day because we’ve all got these black dots on our foreheads like bullets, so we feel vulnerable to mockery, since we understand that America is a historically Protestant country. It’s as much a faux pas to gape at our ashes as it is to gawk at a yamaka, so just appreciate diversity and be grateful that your religion doesn’t require you to walk around with ashes on your forehead.

2)      Don’t tell us that we’ve got something on our forehead during Ash Wednesday. We are well aware that we have ashes there, since we stood on a long line to get them at a service devoted to that express purpose.

3)      If you know that we are giving up coffee or chocolate, don’t try to tempt us into eating these treats. Support us in what our conscience requires of us in this regard rather than seeking to undermine us, just as you would encourage a friend who was abstaining from dessert as part of a diet. Think of us as on a spiritual diet, instead of a weight one.

4)      Don’t ask us if we want to go out to eat at a steakhouse on a Friday during Lent. It leads us to sin and cardiac arrest.

5)      If we ask you whether eggs count as meat, the correct answer is no.

6)      If we ask you if fish counts as a meat, the correct answer is also no.

7)      If we moan about having to eat a peanut butter sandwich instead of a turkey one on Friday, just nod sympathetically and don’t expect a satisfactory response about why eating meat on a Friday in Lent is verboten for Catholics, since much of Catholicism is beautifully mystical and inexplicable. At least half of Catholicism is a celebration of our ignorance as human beings, and if you remember that when you’re dealing with our religious practices, a lot more will become clear to you.

8)      If our sandwich smells suspiciously like tuna, just wrinkle up your nose and suffer with us. It builds up blessings for you in heaven and strengthens your stomach.

Are there any more in-depth, theological videos on Lent out there for me to enjoy?

Certainly, thanks for asking. Mother Angelica, a well-known Catholic radio theologian, offers an interesting and intelligent lecture on Lent and Ash Wednesday that I think would be informative to Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Bishop Egan also recently published a gripping analysis of the pilgrimage that the first week of Lent represents. The archbishop of Philadelphia also has a shorter, nine minute, reflection on the meaning of Lent and why Catholics participate in rituals of fasting and repentance.  Hopefully, these links offer Catholics and non-Catholics alike some grounding in the more intellectual avenues of Catholicism.

This all sounds too intense for me. Are there any simpler explanations of Lent out there?

Yep. I’d recommend checking out a copy of Catholicism for Dummies (but not the Idiot’s Guide to Catholicsm, since that book is notoriously inaccurate), because it is easy to read and very reliable. For the best possible insight into what the Catholic Church teaches and why, you can access the Catechism of the Catholic Church online for free.