The awful truth

God became man.  We say it trembling.  We say it puzzling.  But more often we say it rotely, counting on routine to buffer what we cannot bear.  What can we do with the burden of such a truth?  This is the awful truth: that we made necessary the baby crying in the cradle to become the derelict crying from the cross.  The awful truth - as in awe-filled, filled with awe. - Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, Death on a Friday Afternoon


It's important to understand that Fr. Neuhaus is not being accusatory when he says that the awful truth is that we made this necessary.  More specifically, he isn't suggesting that we should be all the more ashamed of the wrong we have done because it resulted in the death this innocent man-God.  Rather, we should be filled with awe over the lengths - the depths - of love to which God is/was willing to go to be reconciled with us.  Once we ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, there was no way we were ever going to be willing to live according to God's vision.  And the awe-inspiring truth is that from the outset God knew this would be, and planned for our reconciliation.

I love how Fr. Neuhaus embraces the chief objection that rational man has to this faith: this is too improbable to be believed.  Ahh, but once we truly believe it, beyond repeating the words from memory as part of an ancient creed, it makes all the difference in how we view ourselves and our God.  God cares for us this much??  How can that be??  But I must be pretty special for the Creator of the universe to go to such extreme measures to counter my stubborn disunity.

Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my God, should die for me? - Charles Wesley, And Can It Be That I Should Gain