March 14
Christ's goodness toward us
ew people would
give their lives even for a just person, and all of us face death with
reluctance, even in a just cause. How great a Savior we have then, and
how deeply we ought to ponder his love for us! It is a clear proof of his
divine goodness that when the appointed time came, he did not hesitate
to suffer and die for the wicked and the unjust. In the gospel it is said
that no one is good but God the Father; and so unless our Savior had been
his Son, sharing in the Father's very substance, he could not have shown
such great goodness toward us. By this proof, therefore, we can recognize
in him that good man for whom someone might have the courage to die.
Once people have understood the extent of Christ's goodness toward them
and his love has been poured into their hearts, they will long not only
to die for this good man Christ, but to die voluntarily.
From John E. Rotelle, O.S.A., Tradition Day by Day: Readings from
Church Writers. Augustinian Press. Villanova, PA, 1994.
HTML text prepared by David P. Steelman
