Theological Foundations new file

29 God in the Center fundamental truth that man was redeemed by the Son of God and brought back to the house of the Father. But in what a wondrous way was he redeemed! “Consider the benefit of Redemption: how the Son of God, who is equal to His Father in everything, agreed to assume human nature, so that you, a rebel, might be brought back to the house of your Father, so that you might be saved from the prison of eternal abyss or hell. Infinite and unfathomable, He was confined to the Virgin’s womb; inaccessible to suffering, He suffered persecutions, afflictions and adversities all His life: the cold — at His birth; the knife — when He was circumcised; the severity of climate and many other discomforts — during the flight to Egypt. When He taught, He had to suffer the malicious tongues of the unbelievers and take shelter from the stones they hurled at Him. He had to experience the temptations of hell, and receive the worst for all the good that He gave. When you finally reach the mystery of His Passion, you will be almost astounded: as you meditate upon this mystery, your mind will not be able to comprehend the agony, the torture and the pain borne by the God-Man. And let it be sufficient to you to understand that it was in reparation for our countless sins that He suffered indescribable torment.” 15 Father Stanislaus illustrates his lecture on the Savior’s redeeming love with convincing examples. If a king gave up his only son to save his kingdom threatened by imminent destruction, he would probably earn great love, admiration and eternal memory of his subjects. This is what Moses did when he offered himself to suffer great infamy and rejection when God wanted to destroy the rebellious Israeli nation. Feeling responsible for his nation, Moses cried out to the Lord: “But now, if thou wilt forgive their sin — and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written” (Ex 32, 32). God liked this attitude and it also earned the admiration of Moses’s people. Therefore, Jesus, who freely accepted death for the entire world, deserves our gratitude all the more. 16 According to Father Papczynski, there is yet another reason for a reli- gious to be grateful to God, namely, his awareness of a double vocation