Jesus Died For No Other Reason But Love
“We sinned for no reason but an incomprehensible lack of love, and He saved us for no reason but an incomprehensible excess of love.” Peter Kreeft’s words remind us how selfless Christ was in his sacrifice on the cross. We must always keep in mind his passion and death. In a world where we hear about violence and death every morning on the news, we have become desensitized by the true significance of what Jesus has done for us. Reflect on the unbearable pain he experienced and why he allowed it to happen. He was nailed to the cross for you, for no other reason but love.
He willingly forfeited his life and embraced the will of God even though it meant his unbelievable agony and death. How hard is it for us to live for him? How many excuses do we make every day to put him second in our lives?
Every time we go to Mass, we have the chance to commemorate his passion and relive his agony with him. Sometimes we fall asleep or complain about how boring it is, or wish we didn’t have to fulfill that “obligation.” But he still loves us, even when we push him away or make him our last priority. He died for us so we must live for him, especially when it isn’t easy.
Lent is a powerful time of offering up sacrifices and giving up things to increase our spiritual devotion and to suffer with Christ. Even though Lent is coming to an end, we shouldn’t put aside our priorities for spiritual growth. I remember so clearly something my parish priest once told us in a homily after Easter. He pointed out that the Easter season is seven weeks and lasts even longer than Lent. Lent reflects on Jesus’ time in the desert while Easter is all about spreading the joy of Christ and rejoicing in the sacrifice he became for us. The season of Easter should hold an even greater importance for us than Lent because Christ overcame Death and opened the gates of Heaven. He conquered sin once and for all and was truly our Savior. My priest encouraged us – and I encourage you now – to make Easter resolutions similar to our Lenten promises; not of suffering but of giving ourselves more fully to Christ and others.
The season of Easter is a time of celebration and gratitude for the powerful love Christ has for us. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). He died not knowing if we would love him in return. Consider how crazy that is. That’s how crazy in love with us our God is. That’s an amazing and intense love Christ has for us that we sometimes take for granted. Let’s spend this Easter season being in awe of that love and becoming an instrument of it to others.
Pope Saint John Paul II reminds us, “We are an Easter People and Alleluia is our song!” So let us thank God for what he has done and praise him for his faithfulness. The wise saint went on to say, “We are not looking for a shallow joy but rather a joy that comes from faith, that grows through unselfish love, that respects the fundamental duty of love of neighbor … We realize that joy is demanding; it demands unselfishness.” Joyfulness isn’t an effortless calling, but it is ours to commit to as believers in the One who gives us every reason to be filled with joy.
Let this Easter season bring you a sense of joy like you’ve never experienced before. Joy has the amazing ability to ignite your kindness, encompass your heart, flow through your veins, and be the exuberance you share with everyone you meet. I pray that this Easter will bring you a new wonder for the love Christ has for you.
