Lest You Remain

The Venerable Servant of God also sees another reason for Christ’s thirst on the Cross, namely: His desire to experience even greater suffering. It appears that His suffering had reached its limits, but the Savior’s love for people was limitless and actually this very love intensified the desire for suffering. The only solace for Christ at that time were the tears of His mother and pious women, who empathized with Him in His suffering. Those were tears of love in response to His love. 34 Yet another spiritual experience of Christ captures Fr. Stanislaus’s attention: the feeling of desertion expressed in the words: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt 27:46). He was not voicing desperation, as Calvin thought, and it is not a complaint, but it is a teaching. He could not abandon the Incarnate Son of God, equal with the Father. Jesus by His cry taught people that they must call out to God, when they feel abandoned by Him. 35 In Christ’s suffering, both spiritual and physical, in His experiences during Passion, Fr. Stanislaus always tries to discover a deeper meaning, as well as to draw an instruction given to us by the “Crucified Preacher.” Thus, for the Servant of God all these events are the school of faith and life. Christ’s victory over death is also our victory, however, it is not without our participation. Christ’s Passion puts concrete examples before men. They are clear- ly shown in Fr. Papczy < ski’s teaching, from this is seen the great living value of his Passion meditations. Practical value of Passion meditations As to practical hints for Christian life derived from the Passion meditations, an appeal to break away from sin recurs most often in Fr. Papczy < ski’s teaching. Because the Son of God has been “pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins” (Is 53:5), each Christian must realize that these were his/her sins, which wounded Christ. Our Savior gave Himself to suffering because it was necessary to make atonement to the Father for human transgressions. The great burden that fell on Christ’s shoulders has become salvific for men, because “by his stripes we were healed” (Is 53:5). However, people must accept in full conscience Christ’s gift of L EST Y OU R EMAIN W ITHOUT W ORK IN THE V INEYARD OF THE L ORD 206 et non dedistis mihi potum; […] discedite a me maledicti in ignem aeternum’ [Mt 25,42,41]. O pec- cator! Ut non ardeas aeternum, ardentem siti conversionis tuae Christum iam refocilla”. Ibid. 34 „Solus Iesus in crutiatibus inexplicandis persistens immotus lenta voce exclamat: ‘Sitio’. Hic Magdalene Liberatori suo vehementissime compatiens tacita lamentabatur: Ah! ‘Sitio’, clamas: desunt his rupibus undae. Sola fluunt oculis flumina, sola bibe. Non aliud sanctissima Genitrix, non reliquae Matronae huic tristissimae Tragediae praesentes, facere: lachrymas, nimirum suas dilecto Servatori sitis extinguendae causa offerebant”. Ibid., 54. 35 Ibid., IV, s. 37.