The apex of love, the key to unity

Jesus crucified! Through a circumstance, we came to know that the Jesus’ greatest suffering, the apex of his love, was the moment when, on the cross, he felt abandoned by the Father: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt 27, 46). Jesus, then, experienced in himself the division of mankind from God and among themselves. He felt the Father far from him. In an outburst of generosity, in which the special help from Heaven was certainly not lacking, we decided that this was the way we would follow Jesus, we would love him in this suffering of his.

From that moment on we seemed to discover his countenance everywhere. We recognized him in our personal sufferings as well as in those of our neighbours, who were often alone, abandoned, forgotten. But we also recognized him in all big or small divisions, traumas, conflicts, the indifference of people to one another within families, between generations, between rich and poor, and sometimes even within the Church.

But all these difficulties did not make us afraid; rather, because of our love for Jesus Forsaken, they attracted us. After Jesus on the cross cried out his abandonment, he entrusted his spirit to the Father: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit" (Lk 23,46). We experienced that as soon as we loved him in any suffering and, as he did, we re-entrusted ourselves to the Father and continued to love him by doing his will at the next moment, suffering – if spiritual – disappeared; if it was physical, its burden was lightened. We found God anew, more “face to face,” in a fuller union with him. Light and joy returned as well as peace, the fruit of the Spirit of Love. Unity broken was recomposed.