The Passion

It doesn't seem possible that it's been six years since Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion of the Christ" came out. The film was controversial, as most will recall. It was not my favorite depiction of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In terms of my own preferences, the television mini-series "Jesus of Nazareth" of a number of years ago came closest to capturing the essence of that unique story. But "The Passion" did unveil the horrible brutality of the torture and crucifixion of Christ in an inescapable way. It is unlikely that I can ever again read through the passion narratives in the Gospels without drawing to mind some of the scenes from that movie.

However, the word "passion" in today's culture does not immediately evoke images of the Cross for most folks. Rather it is more likely to conjure up the covers of paperback romance novels, or scenes from R-rated films.

The use of the word "passion" to describe Christ's self-sacrifice dates far back in history, appearing in the first verses of The Acts of the Apostles, authored by St. Luke. And perhaps it was linked with that final week of Christ's life because, in fact, the redemption of humankind was his passion, his life-work, his purpose. In his own words, he came "to seek and to save the lost." That was what he was passionate about. He embodied the grace and life which God offers to people. And interestingly enough, when we trust in Christ for salvation, his passion becomes our own.