The article understands the suffering of Jesus as a prior and undeserved expression of love, to which human beings should not respond with indifference, but with love, gratitude, conversion and a conscious surrender of their lives.

Jesus, through his suffering and death, took the first step. He loved first and offered an immense sacrifice for us, yet in return, he often receives only ingratitude, coldness, and mockery. In this Lenten season, it is fitting to ask ourselves, in a spirit of justice, how to respond to this test of God’s love. A good start is to accept our own lives with love, in all their suffering, pain, and daily trials.

Mutual aid

In a small village in the Eifel region, you can see how neighbors build their houses with mutual help. When someone is building their house, neighbors come to help, and so on. In this way, a positive balance is created: ” You help me, and I’ll help you .” This reciprocal justice is also evident in many small aspects of daily life, such as invitations for coffee, dinner, or parties.

However, when a serious tragedy occurs, such as a house fire, the expectation of repayment is not considered; help is given immediately and without ulterior motives, as equivalent compensation is not always possible. This idea can also be applied to our relationship with God. During Lent and in the lead-up to Holy Week, when the Church commemorates the passion and death of Jesus, the question arises as to whether there should be a response here as well. Jesus went ahead. He suffered and died without asking beforehand how he would be rewarded. Precisely for this reason, it is fitting to reflect on how to respond to this proof of love.

Jesus entered history with a self-sacrifice no other human being would make for us. No one would suffer for us what the Son of God suffered. And yet, his death on the cross often fails to move us as it should. Attitudes similar to those of the people who said two thousand years ago, “If he is the King of Israel, let him come down now from the cross, ” still resonate. The cross transcends our imagination and our capacity for understanding, but it should not leave us indifferent.

Jesus suffers freely for us.

The German expression  “ Ich mag dich leiden ”  is usually understood as “I like you” or “I appreciate you.” But it can also be interpreted more literally and harshly: “ I am pleased that you, Jesus, suffer for me. ” This formulation forces us to pause, because it highlights the extent to which one can become accustomed to Christ’s suffering without responding to it inwardly.

Faced with the image of Jesus bleeding on the cross, a painful question arises: how is it possible to witness such suffering and remain almost unmoved? Others—like Teresa of Ávila—were deeply moved by the contemplation of Christ crucified, and for this reason, it becomes necessary to examine one’s own heart. The Son of the Almighty willingly suffered the unimaginable for us, demanding nothing in return, and this should not go unanswered.

Jesus’ complaint about human ingratitude

These words of Jesus, addressed to Margaret Mary Alacoque, express it powerfully:  “ Look at this heart, which has loved mankind so much that it has spared nothing, even to the point of exhaustion, to show them its love. And in return, I receive from most only ingratitude, coldness, contempt, indifference, and insults. But at least you compensate for this coldness with your love. ”  In this lament, the pain of our lack of love is revealed. The approaching Holy Week offers a fitting opportunity to meditate seriously on this and to enter into a sincere dialogue with Jesus, showing what we must change in our own lives and giving Him a more concrete place in our decisions and in our way of living.

Jesus emphasized this point to Margaret:  “ How I long to be loved and honored by men, and I find hardly anyone who strives to respond to that desire and to give me solace by sharing my feelings. You, at least, give me that joy and, as far as possible, make amends for their ingratitude through the merits of my most sacred heart.”  Here the same call appears again: to respond to love with love, to make amends for ingratitude, and not to leave Christ’s sacrifice unanswered.

The suffering of Christ and present-day sins

The Mother of God said to Birgitta of Sweden:  “ Now I lament that my Son is crucified today by his enemies more than by the Jews of that time. And they do it with their vices.”  Thus it becomes clear that the Passion of Christ does not belong only to the past. The sins, vices, and indifference of today continue to be a form of rejection.

Therefore, the death of Jesus should not leave us unmoved. If he willingly suffered for us and, in doing so, opened the path to salvation, a response from us is necessary. This response entails the loving acceptance of our own lives with all their crosses, a sincere conversion, more love, more gratitude, and a more conscious surrender to God. Jesus has gone before us in teaching us his love; the right thing to do is not to respond with indifference, but with love.

Link to the original article in German:  https://medium.com/@karlmariademolina/jesus-leidet-f%C3%BCr-uns-pl%C3%A4doyer-f%C3%BCr-eine-gegenleistung-d74e01e1d2a6