2018-3-20

朋友们，在今天的福音，耶稣预言自己被钉死在十字架上以及圣父在这种死亡中的角色。首批基督徒之所以能够高举、歌颂、佩戴耶稣的十字架，是因为天主认可被钉死了的耶稣，并且使祂复活。“你们杀手了祂，天主却使祂复活了。” 因此，天主参与了这件惨事；天主当时就在现场，为救赎世人而赴汤蹈火。

 

但这意味着什么？整个基督教历史上曾有无数人尝试解释耶稣的十字架的救世本质。容我仅指出一点。首批基督徒逐渐明白到在那个可怕的十字架上，罪恶得到了应得的处置。罪恶的诅咒已被解除、被处理掉。在那个可怕的十字架上，耶稣作为“天主的羔羊”为罪恶献祭。

 

那是说天主圣父是个残酷的监工，要求血淋淋的祭品来平息怒火吗？非也，耶稣在十字架上的死亡打开了神圣的内心，使我们能够看清这个道理：任何罪恶终究都无法间断天主对我们的爱。

 

Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus prophesies his crucifixion and his Father’s role in his coming death. What enabled the first Christians to hold up the cross, to sing its praises, to wear it as a decoration is the fact that God raised up and ratified precisely this crucified Jesus. “You killed him, but God raised him up.” Therefore, God was involved in this terrible thing; God was there, working out his salvific purposes.

 

But what does this mean? There have been numerous attempts throughout the Christian centuries to name the salvific nature of the cross. Let me offer just one take on it. It became clear to the first Christians that somehow, on that terrible cross, sin had been dealt with. The curse of sin had been removed, taken care of. On that terrible cross, Jesus functioned as the “lamb of God,” sacrificed for sin.

 

Does this mean God the Father is a cruel taskmaster, demanding a bloody sacrifice so that his anger might be appeased? No, Jesus’ crucifixion was the opening up of the divine heart so that we could see that no sin of ours could finally separate us from the love of God.