I read the article today that Pope John Paul II whipped himself for penance. For me as a protestant, I don’t understand it. Doesn’t the Bible say Jesus dead to take away our sin on the cross? How can whipping help take away our sins. Please help me cause I don’t understand.
Christ’s sacrifice is timeless. Therefore, one can unite one’s penitential sacrifices to those of Christ as calvary from any point in time. These sacrifices are not done independently, but in union with Christ’s sacrifice.
In addition, Christ redeemed us. This is true. But this does not mean that he took away our sins. It means that he made it possible for us to work out our salvation in union with his sacrifice through prayer, on-going conversion (change), striving to practice perfecgt charity as he did, striving to practice perfect obedience to the Father as he did, living in communion with him through communion with our brothers and sisters, thus fulfilling his desire that “all may be one,” and uniting ourselves physically to him through the sacrament of the Eucharist where Christ becomes physically present under the appearance of bread and wine.
Yes, Christ takes away the sins of those who want to be rid of sin. He does not impose salvation on those who do not want it. If you go to the Gospels and read about the Last Supper. Christ raises the bread and the chalice and says that this is his body and blood that he will shed for the MANY, not for all. God, in his infinite mercy wants to save all. However, God in his infinite love, allows man to choose whether he wants to be saved. Many do not and many do. Salvation and forgiveness of sin is available to those who want it. But to receive the grace of salvation from sin, one must unite one’s life to the life of Christ.
We must live like Christ lived and suffer as Christ suffered. To try to acheive salvation without putting anything of ourselves into it is stealing. It is asking Christ to do all the work himself, when in fact he did not commit any of the sins. It is a matter of justice that man must sacrifice himself and unite his sacrifice to the sacrfice of Christ, so that through Christ who is lifted on the cross the sacrifice is offered to the Father by Christ. As St. Paul teaches us, we must make up what is lacking in the sacrfice of Christ.
What could possibly be lacking in the sacrifice of Christ? The answer is simple. What is lacking is our desire to unite our love to the love of Christ. The God who made us without our help cannot save us without our help. It is contrary to God’s nature to violate our freedom and impose his love. He gives it freely, but we must accept it. The way that we do that is by living the virtuous life united to him through prayer, sacrifice, charity, sacrament and fidelity to the Father.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
