By Sister Gianna, O.C.D.
“When Christ came into our midst to redeem us, He descended so low that after that no one would be able to fall without falling into Him.”
These stunning words were written by Hans Urs von Balthasar.
God could have created a perfect world. He could have arranged things so as to prevent us from falling into the pit by our sinful, despicable actions. He’s all powerful, after all. This would have been so easy for God. But that’s not how He decided to do things. He decided to preserve our free will, to solicit our love and obedience, risking not receiving the honor and regard due to Him. We fall many times, we fall again and again. In fact, it could be called an eternal let-down by us, the creature, in reference to the Creator.
So what is the end of the story – just a great big disappointment in our weakness, our ingratitude, our perpetual betrayal and mishandling of the love of God? No, indeed! The “happy fault” spoken of in the Easter Proclamation sheds light on this. The happy fall of Adam positions us in the greatest place: the lowest place. There, in the depths, is where Christ comes to us, to redeem us. Consider at this moment someone you love whom you are praying for, someone who seems so lost in the fallen-ness of our humanity. Maybe it seems that they couldn’t fall much lower. Make an act of faith and trust that Christ will descend even that low, into their very brokenness, their specific brokenness. Realize, too, that He also descends into the unique brokenness of your soul. Take comfort in the fact that there is no possible way that they may get so far away from God so as to be beyond His reach. The hell that they are experiencing right now, has already been fully known in its horror and tasted by Christ, our Redeemer, when He descended to the depths of hell. He drinks those bitter and poisonous draughts along with the one who has fallen, and, with His grace, and in His mighty power, even the poison is turned on its head and becomes life-giving, when imbued with Christ’s redemption. All will be well, and all will be worked for good, in the measure that we surrender. Give Him due honor right now by fully surrendering the one you love… the one who has just to look up and realize that they’ve fallen into His merciful arms. No one can fall now without falling into Him. Felix culpa, O happy fault, which merited for us so great a Redeemer.
