Christ's suffering

i was talking to someone recently, about how some Christians think it's wrong to really think about Christ's pain and suffering on the Cross. they say that since He is now risen, we shouldn't dwell on this too much, and there was "more to His life". i'm kind of puzzled by this to be honest because it is the Cross that has redeemed us. and He went through all that pain for our sake. if i had a friend who went through a lot of suffering out of love for me, and afterwards i didn't want to speak about it to anyone or even think about it, wouldn't that really hurt my friend? i also met some people who believe that it is wrong to have any images of Jesus on the Cross, (like the crucifix) because to them it implies that He never rose from the dead..they say that instead, we should only display the empty cross in our churches. this i also disagree with (although i understand this view), because churches that have crucifixes (such as Catholic or Orthodox), definitely do believe in the Resurrection.. we recite this in the Creed at every Mass: "He..was crucified, died and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day He rose again. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead". :)
the point of the crucifix is just to help us remember the pain He endured for our sake.. it's just a visual reminder. i have a little crucifix in my room, and i've found it helpful.

i think God has been showing me lately that it is really important for us to often reflect on Christ's Passion. all the Saints did this, and received many graces as a result. but we shouldn't just do that in hopes of receiving something.. we should think about His suffering simply out of love for Him. Jesus endured everything for us.. physical torture, loneliness, betrayal, He was mocked, beaten, nailed to a cross..He felt abandoned by His Father (i can't imagine how much pain He suffered then..)

and at ANY moment, He could have ended it all. He could have went back to Heaven, He could have forced the people to let Him go, or to worship Him.. He could have changed their hearts in a moment. But He stayed on the Cross, He endured the unimaginable pain to the end, simply out of His infinite love for us. And His love truly is infinite.. He had enough love to die for each of us a thousand times, if that had been necessary. CS Lewis once said that..even if you were the only person in the world, He still would have died for you. isn't that amazing?? that's the love of our Savior.. and all this time, He knew that most of the human race would not believe in Him...He knew that in return for His love, He would receive so much hatred, so many insults, and that people would still mock Him after His death.. and He knew that even after He had shown me so much kindness and mercy, and gave me faith to believe in Him, i would still sin against Him deliberately and hurt Him over and over. :( But He still loved..

do we really think about what He went through, or do we take it for granted.. i admit that sometimes i do take it for granted.. i pray that i never will again! i think it's so important for us to reflect upon His Passion.. maybe to pray the Stations of the Cross.. to really try to understand what it was all like for Him. this can really help us grow in love for God. i'm so glad that in the Catholic Church, Christ's suffering is often talked about..in the Saints, the prayers, devotions, etc. i never really thought about it much before.

i think i should just make a commitment to reflect on the Passion more often..

i heard a (true) story recently about how someone's friend, a pastor (wow..), called a crucifix "disgusting". wow. when we look at Christ on the Cross, dying for our sins..that's not "disgusting"..no, it's called LOVE.

and our beloved Savior suffers from all the unbelief, ingratitude, hatred, sin of this world..the Catholic Church encourages us to console His Sacred Heart for all the offenses that are done against Him daily. (i think this is such a beautiful devotion)

"As Jesus spoke to His apostles, so He pleads with us to stay and watch and pray with Him. His Sacred Heart is filled with sadness, because so many doubt Him, despise Him, insult Him, ridicule Him. In the Sacrament of Love, so many forget Him. Every mortal sin brings down the terrible scourges on His Sacred Body, presses the sharp thorns into His Sacred Head, and hammers the cruel nails into His Sacred Hands and Feet. The ingratitude of mankind continually pierces His Sacred Heart."
http://www.2heartsnetwork.org/holyhour.htm