Xx. Of Our Blessed Lord'S Leavin'G This World: Of His Passion And His Death; Of His Burial
XX. OF OUR BLESSED LORD'S LEAVIN'G THIS WORLD: OF HIS PASSION AND HIS DEATH; OF HIS BURIAL
(A)
What does the consideration of our Lord's leaving the world entail?
It entails four things: the Passion, the death, the burial, and the descent into hell (XLVI.-LII.).
Why did our Lord suffer His Passion and death on the Cross?
First of all to obey His Father, who had thus determined in His divine plans; and because, knowing intimately these divine plans, He knew that the Passion was to be the masterpiece of the wisdom and love of God, whereby salvation was secured to men (XLVI. 1).
Did the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ surpass all other conceivable sufferings?
Yes, because the human nature of our Lord in its sensibility and sensitiveness was exquisite and the most perfect possible; and although in the heights of His soul He possessed and enjoyed for ever the beatific vision, no ray of this splendour was allowed to enter the darkness of His sufferings to bring light and consolation to Him; further, He bore all the sins of men upon His shoulders which His sufferings were to wipe out (XLVI. 5, 6).
(B)
In what manner did our Lord's Passion work out our salvation?
The Passion of our Lord considered as an instrument of the divinity was the "efficient cause" of our salvation, itself accomplishing our salvation: in so far as it was accepted by His human will it "merited" our salvation; in so far as it was suffering in the sensitive part of our Lord's human nature it worked our salvation by "satisfying" for the penalties merited by our sins; in so far as it delivered us from the bondage of sin and the devil, it "redeemed" us; and in so far as it brought grace to us and reconciled us to God it worked out our salvation by way of "sacrifice" (XLVIII. 1-4).
Is it proper to Jesus Christ alone to be the redeemer of the human race?
Yes; for the price of this redemption was the Passion and Death of our Lord offered to God the Father and to the whole Trinity in order that we might be delivered from sin and the devil. Although it must be remembered that the whole Trinity is the primary cause of our redemption, and that God the Son, as man, is the immediate cause thereof (XL VIII. 5).
Did our Lord's Passion deliver us from the bondage of Satan in any special way?
Yes, because it wiped out the sin which put us in the devil's power; it reconciled us with God, Whom we had offended; and it exhausted the tyranny of Satan in that through his malice Christ who was innocent was put to death (XLIX. 1-4).
Was the opening to men of the gates of heaven a special effect of the Passion?
Yes; for the twofold obstacle of original sin and of the personal sins of men shut the gates of heaven to the whole of the human race; and it was our Lord's Passion that took away these obstacles entirely (XLIX. 5)
(C)
Was it necessary that Christ should suffer the particular death that He actually suffered?
Yes; for it was according to the wisdom of the divine counsels and of His love for us that He suffered such a death. By His death we were delivered from the spiritual death of sin and from the death which is inflicted on us as a penalty of sin. In dying for us our Lord conquered death, and He made it possible. for us to triumph over death by not fearing it, knowing that we shall come to life again (L. 1).
(D)
Why was our Lord buried after His death?
First of all to show to men that He was really dead; secondly, to make us know by His resurrection from the tomb that we also shall rise some day; and thirdly, to teach us that by dying to sin we must set ourselves apart from this sinful life and hide ourselves in Him (LI. 1).