The Love That Compelled Christ to Die

Fr. Anthony Gramlich reflects on one of the deepest mysteries of our faith: how the Passion of Jesus was both the worst and the greatest moment of His earthly life. From a human standpoint, it was agony, humiliation, and death. From a divine standpoint, it was perfect love poured out — the very reason He came into the world. As Archbishop Fulton Sheen said, Jesus is the only person ever born with the mission to die, and to die for us.

Why was His death a “must”? Because His love demanded it. Not a law imposed from the outside, but love burning from within. His Sacred Heart, aflame with mercy, compelled Him to suffer and to give Himself completely for our salvation. “The Son of Man must suffer greatly,” He said, not by compulsion of law, but by the fire of divine charity.

Fr. Anthony reminds us that this love was not cold resignation but total self-offering, even in rejection. Jesus entered the depths of human pain and abandonment to heal us of our rejection and despair. From the Cross, He forgave, He loved, He rejoiced in saving souls — even those who crucified Him.

The saints show us this mystery lived out. From the martyrs who sang on their way to death, to physicians like Sts. Cosmas and Damian who healed in life and after death through their relics, Christ’s power shines forth in His Church. Even today, relics such as St. Faustina’s draw us closer to Jesus, reminding us that His victory lives on in His saints.

Suffering does not have the last word. Christ’s Resurrection is the final answer. If we unite our pain with His, our cross becomes the path to glory. “For if we have died with Him, we shall also live with Him” (2 Tim 2:11).