224 WHY DID JESUS DIE ON THE CROSS

 The question I first thought of was; ‘Why did Jesus have to die on the

 Cross’. But then I realised that he didn’t ‘have’ to die; he chose to

 die. But surely even that isn’t true. It was his Father who chose for

 him to die – “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me.

 Nevertheless, let your will be done not mine” (Luke 22:42). So the

 question is; Why did God the Father choose for his son to die? In

 Biblical times the sacrificing of the eldest son was the supreme

 sacrifice ‘Then he took his eldest son and sacrificed him on the city

 wall’ (2 Kings 3:27). ‘Laying its foundations cost him his eldest son

 Abriam and erecting its gates cost him his youngest son Segub’ (1

 Kings 16:34). But in those cases the sacrifices were made to appease

 God or the Gods. God the Father has no-one to appease. So why

 Sacrifice his son?

 The whole idea of Jesus’ death on the Cross comes from Redemption. Why

 is that necessary? Adam and Eve’s first sin left its stain on us all.

 If Original Sin is a mystery then it can to be understood by Our

 Lady’s word at Lourdes “I am the Immaculate Conception”. Such special

 conception would not have been necessary if Original Sin did not

 exist. Original Sin and our subsequent sins meant that heaven’s gates

 were closed to us. To open them God required that a Supreme Sacrifice

 had to be made.

 As mentioned above sacrificing your eldest son or only son was known

 as the supreme sacrifice. So that must be why God chose the Passion

 and Crucifixion of His Son. But that leads to another important reason

 for Jesus’ Crucifixion.

 Throughout his three years of proclaiming his Kingdom Jesus often

 referred to the fact that he would be raised up (as the serpent in the

 desert) and that he would be put to death. So, to him, his Passion and

 Crucifixion were not unexpected and without that bloody Crucifixion

 the Sacrifice of the Mass would be meaningless. Jesus poured out his

 blood for us and that same blood we receive in Holy Communion. The

 Holy Mass is the re-enactment of Calvary so without Calvary there

 would be no Mass. Surely that alone is the answer to Why Jesus Died on

 the Cross.

 Michael Blackburn. Good Friday 10th April 2009.