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By Curtis Shelburne
Religion columnist
Faith: Easter time to ponder great sacrifice and joy
4/12/2022
“Good Friday and Easter free us to think about other things far beyond our own personal fate,” wrote author, pastor, theologian, and modern-day martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer. And he continued, they liberate us to contemplate “the ultimate meaning of life, suffering, and events; and we lay hold of a great hope.”
I am quite sure that when Bonhoeffer spoke of the cross and the Resurrection as “freeing” us, he did so on purpose. If I’m not mistaken, Bonhoeffer’s words above were written while he was imprisoned by the Nazis. In prison, he alludes to the freedom we can find anywhere as we choose to center on Christ’s sacrifice and power rather than focusing always on “our own fate” and thus living fear-molded lives, enslaved even if we seem to be free.
Sometimes I find myself taken by surprise by a stark contrast as I’m listening to a speech or reading an article or a book, and it occurs to me, “There’s depth and wisdom here. This person has a center, a foundation, a universe that’s larger than self. This person is grounded in truth, and I need to listen.”
And the contrast? It’s unmistakable. It’s between what is genuine and deep, and what is a thin veneer or convenient mask. With regard to faith, it’s faith that genuinely seeks God’s truth and thus enlivens the whole heart, mind, and soul. It’s “sold out” to God and not just seeking favor from a sect or a pet set of superficial and divisive traditions. With regard to public discourse, the contrast is between wise words coming from a grounded truth-seeking soul and poison words “offered” by the type of soul-shriveled politician whose main focus and heart’s desire is to divide us, stoke enmity, and by manipulating us, grasp power.
Through the long centuries, this has always been true.
On Apr. 9, 1945, German Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed by hanging at the Flossenbürg, Germany concentration camp two weeks before American troops liberated the prison. A mere 39-years-old, Bonhoeffer was arrested because he associated with parties who conspired to assassinate Hitler in July 1944. While he was active in the German resistance movement, it is highly doubtful that he had any role in the assassination conspiracy. But in a lawless regime, those details hardly matter. Bonhoeffer believed his call to discipleship compelled him to join the resistance – and that call led to his death.
It might seem odd to commemorate the death of a Lutheran theologian in a Catholic magazine at Eastertime, but as participation in the eternal mind of God, all truth is catholic truth, regardless of who conveys it. And Bonhoeffer said some very “Catholic” things about the suffering, death and the resurrection of Christ. Moreover, his mediation on the call to suffering and discipleship is remarkably harmonious with those of Pope St. John Paul II in his landmark encyclical, The Splendor of Truth.
In his book, Discipleship, Bonhoeffer famously wrote, “Whenever Christ calls us, His call leads to death.” That death necessarily entails suffering if we are to be faithful disciples. “Discipleship is being bound to the suffering Christ,” he continued. “Just as Christ is only Christ as one who suffers and is rejected, so a disciple is only a disciple in suffering and being rejected, thereby participating in crucifixion.”
Bonhoeffer’s further explanation of this point could have been written by a Catholic theologian (or, as some contend, it might have implied Bonhoeffer’s own movement toward Catholicism).
“To be sure,” he wrote, “Christ’s suffering is the only suffering that brings reconciliation.” But because we are called to participate in Christ’s suffering and death – a death that was for the sake of others – so must we also take seriously our responsibility to bear the burdens of others. “As Christ bears our burdens,” Bonhoeffer explained, “so we are to bear the burden of our sisters and brothers.” By participating in the suffering and death of Jesus, “[s]o Christians become bearers of sin and guilt for other people.” This includes forgiving the sins of the other against us – of bearing their guilt. “Forgiving sins is the Christ-suffering required of disciples,” he wrote. “I cannot bear it except by forgiving it, by the power of Christ’s cross, which I have come to share.”
This might seem a shocking assertion. But if we are to take seriously our call to come and die with Christ – if we are sincerely and wholly join our suffering with His – it is a necessarily implication. Christ alone atones, but He calls us to participate in that atonement by being present for others, taking on the suffering of others and forgiving their sins. If we are joined to Christ we must, like Christ, be people for others. This includes bearing their burdens and giving our lives to and for theirs.
And, in the glorious essence of the Christian paradox that life is found in death, only by bearing the other’s burden can we become free.
Tomorrow is Father’s Day, and my sermon will be based on 1 Kings 2:1-4. In that passage, King David said to his son, Solomon, “Be strong and show yourself a man.” I will conclude my message about an American icon who became a follower of Jesus. A recent book about this man says that he was a “movie star, race car driver, motorcycle legend, sex symbol, fashion icon, and, of course, King of Cool.”
Palm Sunday, cycle A
The Gospel: Matthew 26: 14 – 27: 66
Thoughts on the Gospel at the Procession:
In Jesus’ day the Jewish people had hoped that the Messiah would come with military power and might – and that with that power he would free them. But Jesus came and opened a new way. Just as he rode to Jerusalem on a donkey, an ass, a pack animal, rather than arriving with armies and angels, so he opened a new path for the reign of God, the Kingdom of God. He preached about God who cared for the least, who sought the lost and the poor and counted the hairs of one’s head. This God reached out to the Gentiles, the enemies of the Jews and spoke of loving one’s enemies as if it were possible. His idea of the reign of God and how a Messiah might act was incomprehensible to many of the people. This was not the way a messiah ought to act. This could not be God or God’s servant. (Celebration, April 13, 2002)
What does the word Passion mean for you?
A dictionary says that it means strong emotion and agitation, such as ardent love, eager desire, even rage. It also means intense suffering. Jesus is the face of God: “He is the image of the invisible God.” (Colossians 1:15) What do we learn of God in his passion?
Jesus does not want followers who seek after suffering; he does, however, want followers who seek after truth and love and are willing to suffer in order to live this truth and love in their real lives.
Thoughts from Prof. Dr. Joseph Ratzinger’s (Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI) Theology of the Cross from his book: Einfuhrung in das Christentum (Introduction to Christianity):
In many devotional books we encounter the idea that Christian faith in the cross is belief in a God whose unforgiving justice demands a human sacrifice – the sacrifice of his own son. This somber and angry God contradicts the Good News of God’s love and makes it unbelievable. Many people picture things this way, but it is false. In the Bible, the cross is not part of a picture of violated rights; the cross is far more the expression of a life which is a ‘being for others.’
This is an appalling picture of God, as one who demanded the slaughter of his own son in order to assuage his anger. Such a concept of God has nothing to do with the New Testament. The New Testament does not say that human beings reconcile God; it says that God reconciles us.
The fact that we are saved ‘through his blood’ (Hebrew 9:12) does not mean that his death is an objective sacrifice . . . In world religions, the notion which dominates is that of the human being making restitution to God in order to win God‘s favor. But in the New Testament the picture is the exact opposite. It is not the human being who goes to God, to bring him a compensatory gift or sacrifice; rather, it is God who comes to human beings with a gift to give us. The cross is not the act of offering satisfaction to an angry God. Rather, it is the expression of the boundless love of God, who undergoes humiliation in order to save us.
Christian worship is not the act of giving something to God; rather, it is the act of allowing ourselves to receive God’s gift, and to let God do this for us.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran theologian who died at the hands of the Nazis on April 8, 1945. In his book The Cost of Discipleship, he talks about cheap grace and costly grace:
Cheap grace is when we look to ourselves for what we have in life. The blessings we have are taken for granted. We can do what we want without retribution. Cheap grace places ourselves in the center. It is easy. There is no personal responsibility, unless it is to take credit for the good. But it is empty. No, grace was bought at a price in Christ Jesus (I Corinthians 6:19-20). There is more to life than living in cheap grace.
by Ed Stetzer
If you’ve been following along with me on Twitter this weekend, you’re well aware that I am in the midst of an extended family reunion in Florida with my (very loud, Irish extended family). And while my family is still proud of our Irish heritage (some of them maybe a little too much), we are also deeply thankful to share in the freedoms the United States offers.
For those of you reading this outside of the US, today is Memorial Day– a holiday celebrating those who died fighting for our country and her freedoms. These freedoms that my family enjoy came at a great cost. And that cost was not just monetary, but blood-bought in wars and conflicts, some name and some now.
For example:
- American Revolutionary War – 25,000 deaths
- War of 1812 – 20,000 deaths
- Mexican-American War – 13,283 deaths
- US Civil War – 625,000 deaths
- Spanish-America War – 2,446 deaths
- Philippine-American War – 4,196 deaths
- World War 1 – 116,516 deaths
- World War 2 – 405,399 deaths
- Korean War – 36,516 deaths
- Vietnam War – 58,209 deaths
- Persian Gulf War – 258 deaths
- Iraq – 4,486 deaths
- Afghanistan – 2,145 deaths
These brave men and women gave all they had so that we could enjoy certain freedoms not available to all. For that, my fellow Americans and I are very thankful.That’s a lot to remember. That’s a lot of people who gave their lives for others.
I get that this is a picnic and barbecue day. Nothing wrong with that. But, in the midst of the summer kickoff, be sure to take some time to pray for the families of those who lost their loved ones– parents, children, siblings, and more.
And, contrary some of the comments you may see on social media, it’s OK to be thankful for those who are serving now (or have served) as well, as President Bush modeled in his 2007 Memorial Day speech, honoring the fallen and being thankful for those who serve today. He explained:
Good morning. This Memorial Day weekend, Americans honor those who have given their lives in service to our Nation. As we pay tribute to the brave men and women who died for our freedom, we also honor those who are defending our liberties around the world today.
Yet, the main focus should be on the “memorial,” remembering those who have fallen– who gave their lives for something greater than themselves, or just to serve along side a comrade.
At times like this, I’m always struck by the teaching of Jesus where he said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).
Give Thanks… Always?
By Trevin Wax on Nov 24, 2010
Rejoice always! Pray constantly. Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
(1 Thess. 5:16-18)
Really, Paul? Give thanks in everything? No matter the circumstance?
Already, you’ve rocked my world. You’ve told me to rejoice always – not just when life is going well. That means that even though I’m tempted to rejoice only in the good times, you want me to rejoice in the bad times too.
You’ve told me to pray constantly – not just when life is going badly. Here, you’ve dealt with the opposite temptation. Even though I’m tempted to pray only in the bad times (when I sense I need something), you want me to pray constantly – in the good times too.
Paul, you’re calling me to a way of life that doesn’t depend on my circumstances. And what bugs me about this call is that you aren’t some idealistic pastor asking me to do the impossible. You are doing this yourself. You’re writing from a prison cell. Your happiest, sunniest letter (Philippians) is written when your circumstances are terrible.
And now, you’re telling us to give thanks in everything. But how? I want to be thankful, but come on… even for bad things? Even for trials?
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