Reflection on 2Cor 5:21
For our sake He made Him who knew no sin to be sin,
that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
This verse is preceded by related verses, beginning with verse 14: “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”
Indeed, Jesus did not know sin, but for our sake He took original sin, the source of evil that corrupted our human nature, upon Himself. It is literally as if He identified Himself with sin, and did so out of love for us, so that in Him we might attain God’s righteousness, that is, justification from sin. Jesus paid the just price for sin, and we who believe in Him and are faithful to Him give Him our sins, ideally right after we have committed them. The act of repentance can also be expressed by a gesture –we lightly beat our chest with our right hand and pray silently, preferably three times, “Lord, have mercy!”
It is very helpful to contemplate what Jesus suffered for us when He identified Himself, as it were, with sin, that is, took upon Himself the source of evil, sin, but also all the evil that comes from that source, that is, from original sin. We can contemplate it when praying the Holy Rosary or we can contemplate the Seven Words from the Cross.
So the word of life, which we will recite for two weeks, is meant to remind us: Jesus, You suffered for me and my sins in Gethsemane, in the scourging, on the Way of the Cross, and on the cross, so that through Your sacrifice I might receive You, the spotless Lamb, and thus the forgiveness of sins, that is, the justification of God.
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