Inevitable
“It was inevitable that Jesus Christ should be crucified. It was also inevitable that He should rise again.” ~ H.R.L. Sheppard
Inevitability is something that often confronts us head-on. We get into an accident and, when we review what led up to it, we might say that it was inevitable, that nothing would have altered what happened. We receive a major award or accolade and people would say of us that it was inevitable because of all the work that we put into whatever it was. There is a sense of inevitability in life.
Sheppard states that it was inevitable that Jesus should be crucified. That is completely true. Jesus, out of love for us, put Himself completely into our hands. He was willing to suffer whatever came His way because He knew that it would lead to our salvation.
He could have stopped the progression to Calvary at any moment. He could have turned rocks to bread. He could have done anything that He wanted. What He wanted for us, though, was more than what He wanted for Himself. Thus, his crucifixion was inevitable.
But, Jesus is the Son of God. He is the eternal, immortal God. Death cannot hold Him. Death is a product of this sinful world. It has power and sway over us but not over Jesus because Jesus is God. Therefore, it was inevitable that Jesus would rise from the dead and, in the process, would destroy the shackles that sin and death had over us all.
It is no longer inevitable that we succumb to death and lie in death for eternity. No. If we believe in God and place our faith and trust in His Son, resurrection can be inevitable for us as well.
That is why we gather in church today to celebrate the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion. We will reflect upon sacred scripture, intercede for the world and ourselves in prayer, venerate the cross, the instrument of Jesus’ death, and receive Holy Communion.
This is a sad day. A tragic day. A day in which it seems that death won. But we know what happened three days later. Inevitability is on our side because God is on our side.
FAITH ACTION: If possible, attend the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion this afternoon as the Church celebrates the second day of the Sacred Triduum.
Remember: Good Friday is a Day of Fast and Abstinence