The Power of Christ’s Passion

During Lent, we often focus on what we are doing—our prayer, our fasting, our sacrifices. But the heart of Lent is not first what we do: the heart of Lent is about what Christ has done. And so today, I would like to invite you to enter more deeply into the mystery of Christ’s Passion—not simply as something that happened long ago, but as something that has power now, something that is meant to transform us.

Why the Passion?

We might begin with a very simple question: Why did Christ have to suffer? 

At first glance, it might seem that the Passion was unnecessary. Could not God simply forgive our sins? Why the Cross?

St. Thomas Aquinas gives a deeply illuminating answer: He says that the Passion reveals both God’s justice and His mercy.  On the side of justice, Christ makes satisfaction for sin—sin is not ignored. It is taken seriously. It is healed, repaired, atoned for.  On the side of mercy—because we could not repair it ourselves. And so God Himself provides what we could not. Here Aquinas cites St. Paul,

‘God, who is rich in mercy… even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together in Christ.’(Eph2.4-10)

And Aquinas explains that this is actually more merciful than simply forgiving sin without satisfaction—because God Himself provides what we could not.

So, in the Cross, God does not choose between justice and mercy. Rather, God fulfils both justice AND mercy, perfectly, at the same time.  And even more than that, Aquinas says this was the most fitting way. Why?

Because in the Passion, many things are accomplished at once:

He says that “In the first place, the human being knows thereby how much God loves him, and so, is stirred to love Him in return… and herein lies the perfection of human salvation.”[1]

• We see how much God loves us
• We are moved to love Him in return

In addition, he cites 1 Pet 2:21: Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an example that you should follow in His steps. Thus the Cross is not only something done for us—it is something we are called to imitate.  We are given an example to follow, And we are also bound more closely to Christ, in union with him. The Cross is not only effective—it is revealing. It shows us who God is.

Christ Freely Chose the Passion

This is essential: Christ was not a victim of circumstances.

He could have stopped it. He could have prevented it. But He did not.  He chose it, by allowing Himself to suffer and by allowing Himself to be handed over. In this way, He laid down His life freely.

Therefore, although others inflicted the suffering, Aquinas teaches that Christ “did not repel the injury inflicted on His body,” but accepted it.  This means the Passion is not something that happened to Him. It is something He embraced—for us.

The Depth of Christ’s Suffering

Before we consider what the Passion accomplishes, it is worth pausing to consider what Christ actually endured. St. Thomas asks whether Christ’s suffering was the greatest of all.

And he answers, very directly: Yes—it was.

But he explains this carefully.

First, Christ experienced both bodily pain and interior sorrow.

There was “true and sensible pain” in His body, and also an interior suffering—what Aquinas calls sadness—arising from all that He knew and bore.  And in Christ, both were present in their fullness.

The Causes of His Suffering

Aquinas gives several reasons why this suffering was so great.

First, because of what He suffered physically. Crucifixion was not only painful—it was prolonged, exposed, and intense.  The body was pierced in the most sensitive places, and the weight of the body itself increased the agony over time.

But even more profoundly, there is His interior suffering.

Aquinas says that Christ bore:

• the sins of the whole human race
• the rejection and betrayal of others—even on the part of his own apostles
• and the natural human sorrow at death itself

He entered fully into the weight of sin and the experience of loss. 

The One Who Suffers

Second, the suffering is greater because of Who He is: His body was perfectly formed—more sensitive than ours, not less. And His soul perceived suffering with complete clarity.  Nothing was dulled. Nothing was diminished.  He experienced suffering fully.

The Purity of His Suffering

Third, Aquinas says Christ’s suffering was pure: In us, suffering is often lessened—we distract ourselves, or reason tempers it, but in Christ, He allowed each aspect of His suffering to be fully felt.

There was no avoidance. No resistance.

Suffering Freely Embraced

Finally, all of this suffering was accepted voluntarily.  This is essential. Christ did not suffer the minimum required.  Rather, He embraced suffering in proportion to the greatness of what He intended to accomplish: our salvation. Aquinas concludes that From all these together, Christ’s suffering was the greatest.This helps us understand something very important, which is that the depth of the Passion reveals the depth of His love. It also reveals the power of what it accomplishes.

And so now we can ask: What does this Passion—so freely embraced, so deeply endured—actually do for us?

What Does the Passion Do?

Aquinas gives six answers. These are not abstract ideas; rather, they describe what happens to us if we receive the Passion.

1. We Are Freed from Sin

First, the Passion frees us from sin.

Aquinas says this happens in three ways.

First, the Cross awakens love. “By way of exciting our charity….” When we see Christ suffering for us—when we realize that He loved us even while we were sinners—our hearts are moved. And it is love that opens us to forgiveness.

Second, the Passion is a redemption.
Christ is the Head, and we are His members. That is, members of the Mystical Body of Christ. Therefore, what He does, He does for us. His suffering becomes the price of our freedom.

Third, His Passion has Divine power, because the One Who suffers is not only man, but God. And so His suffering does not merely symbolize forgiveness—it actually causes it. As St. Thomas explains, it “operates with Divine power for expelling sin.”

This raises an important question. How does the merit of Christ’s Passion reach us?

The Passion must be applied to us.

And Aquinas says this happens through:

• “Faith living through charity”
•  the Sacraments

It is not enough to admire the Cross. We must allow it to reach us, to enter our lives.

2. We Are Delivered from the Devil

Second, the Passion frees us from the power of the devil.  Christ says, “Now shall the prince of this world be cast out.”(John 12.31)

Aquinas explains this in a striking way: The devil exceeded his authority by bringing about the death of one who was innocent—one who did not deserve death.  And so the devil’s claim over humanity collapses. In this way, the devil is defeated—not by force, but by justice. That is, as Aquinas clarifies, quoting Augustine, “the devil was vanquished by Christ’s justice.”[2]

Now, this does not mean temptation disappears. The devil can still tempt us.  But it does mean that he no longer has dominion over us. There is now a real possibility of victory.  Therefore, Christian life is not a losing battle. The decisive victory has already been won. 

3. We Are Freed from the Debt of Punishment

Third, the Passion frees us from the debt of punishment.

Aquinas says that Christ’s suffering was not only sufficient—it was a “superabundant satisfaction for the sins of the whole human race.”[3]  It was more than enough.

But then we might ask, so why do we still suffer?

The reason is because we are called not only to be forgiven, but also to be conformed to Christ.

After Baptism, when we fall, we are invited to share in Christ’s suffering—not as a punishment for its own sake, but as a participation in the transformative power of His love. This is the meaning of penance.

It is NOT self-hatred, NOT harshness on God’s part. Rather, it is out of love. In this way, we unite our small sufferings—whether chosen or simply received—to His. And in doing so, they are transformed.

Often, the most powerful penances are not the ones we choose, but the ones God allows in our daily lives. When we accept them with love, they become part of our redemption.

4. We Are Reconciled to God

Fourth, the Passion reconciles us to God.

Aquinas is careful here. God did not begin to love us because of the Cross. He always loved us. What changed was that the obstacle—sin—was removed.

And more than that, Christ offered something to the Father more pleasing than all sin was displeasing: that is, Christ offered an act of perfect love and obedience, which is “a most acceptable sacrifice to God,”[4] as St. Thomas explains.

In fact, Aquinas says something very beautiful: Christ’s love was greater than the malice of those who crucified Him. Which means that love is greater than sin. Always.  So we are not reconciled because God was persuaded to love us. We are reconciled because the barrier of sin between us and God has been taken away.

5. The Gate of Heaven Is Opened

Fifth, the Passion opens heaven.

Before Christ, humanity was prevented from entering heaven:

• by original sin
• by personal sin

But Christ removes both. He enters heaven as our High Priest—and opens the way.

So, now, heaven is not closed to us. It is open.  But we must still walk the path of salvation, through faith, through charity and through the sacraments.

The door is open—but we must enter.

6. Christ Is Exalted—and We with Him

Finally, Aquinas speaks of Christ Himself, who humbled Himself in four main ways:

• in suffering his Passion and Death
• in His Body being laid in a Sepulchre and his Soul descending into Hell.
• in the shame and mockeries he endured
• in being unjustly judged by men

Therefore, He is exalted in four ways:

• in the Resurrection
• in the Ascension into heaven
• in the glory of his sitting at the right hand of God the Father, and
•  in His coming Himself to judge the living and the dead

Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection is not only about Him.

It follows a the law written into the Gospel: “He that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” (Luke 14.11 cf. Matt23.12; Luke 18.14)

It is also the pattern of our lives. Humility leads to glory. Suffering, united to love, leads to life.

“If we suffer with Him, we shall also be glorified with Him.”(Rom.8.17)

Conclusion

So, what does the Passion do?

Through it:

• Sin is forgiven
• The devil is defeated
• Punishment is transformed
• We are reconciled
• Heaven is opened
• Glory becomes possible

But all of this leads to one final question.

What will we do with it? Because the Passion is not only something to understand. It is something to enter into.

In our prayer. In the Sacraments. In our daily crosses.

So perhaps we can end with this simple truth: “You are bought with a great price.”(I Cor.6.20)

Let us ask for the grace not only to know that—but to live it.

Let us allow His Passion to become the power that transforms our lives. Amen.