Jesus, you didn't have to do it...

As I await the Easter Vigil this evening I thought I'd share an awesome video with you.

I read somewhere that people often mistake the "Passion" of Christ to be something of passionate love, with much ardour and emotion. The priest (please forgive me, I can't find the reference) mentioned that the actual meaning of passione is something that more resembles our meaning of the word resignation. This is huge...Jesus abandoned himself to His Father's will. He resigned out of love to allow such terrible things happen to him because in the end, he knew we would benefit. He wasn't proud as he went through it, he didn't brag or exsult his self-sacrifice. He didn't have to go through such torture and unspeakable pain...but what motivated him? Love.

"The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers (1 Jn 3:16)

"No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us" (1 Jn 4:12)

Before we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord I think it's important to note that Jesus asked us to love one another, to even lay down our lives for each other. What does this look like?

The Beatitudes are a good start, but so is the advice from St.Paul to the Corinthians (1 Cor 13:1-7)

I love how the composer David Haas has captured the spirit of this scripture:

Peace and Blessings and may the love of our Lord grow ever stronger in you each day.