Why Do We Call It "The Passion?"

Catholic Exchange ^ | March 26, 2007 | Jeffrey Schwehm

[NYer]

Jeffery M. Schwehm is a former member of the Jehovah's Witnesses' Headquarters Staff in Brooklyn, New York and a former Lutheran. He is an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry at Lakeland College in Sheboygan, WI and a member of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Kohler, WI. He is also the President of The Fellowship of Catholic Ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses (www.catholicxjw.com), a Catholic apostolate to assist Jehovah’s Witnesses into the Catholic Church.

[alisasny]

I don't think many here have said so but I so appreciate your posts.

Thankyou.

[trimom]

This is a wonderful article for me. I work with a young man who is a JW and struggling terribly with issues of faith and goodness. Knowing little of his religion, I didn't realize this incredible difference between us.

[eastsider]

This unprecedented realism of God's passionate (erotic) love for us is demonstrated and fulfilled in God's culminating act of sacrificial (agape) love by His dying on the cross to save us.

Other than the general poetic/metaphorical use of the word death for orgasm, this is the first time I've ever heard anyone suggest that we call Christ's suffering and death the "Passion" because they relate to an act of erotic love.

I was under the impression that the word "Passion" was etymologyically related to "passive" -- as in, Jesus emptied himself of his divinity (the kenoisis) and let his enemies torture and kill him.

[Quick or Dead]

Why Do We Call It "The Passion?"

passion, root word "patis", Latin, "to suffer." "The Passion" - "The Suffering."

[eastsider]

Sorry for the misspelling -- kenosis

[eastsider]

That's it -- patior -- deponent verb -- to suffer ...

[trisham]

The next time we encounter a Jehovah's Witness or any one else who has not experienced the authentic passion of Christ, let us pray that they will have an encounter with the authentic Jesus through us. May they see that our passionate God is searching for them and that God has sacrificed Himself for them so that they might come home to His Church and spend eternity with Him.

*************

How beautiful is this.

[trisham]

Knowing little of his religion, I didn't realize this incredible difference between us.

************

Me either. It's most amazing, and rather sad.

[Rightly Biased]

Amen and Amen

[NYer]

I don't think many here have said so but I so appreciate your posts.

I don't write them; I simply post them. Thank you, all the same. We christians are one family in belief. We need to overcome the obstacles to our unity in practice.

[NYer]

I work with a young man who is a JW and struggling terribly with issues of faith and goodness.

Share this article with him and definitely provide him with the link in the comments. More importantly, add him to your prayer list. (Since I can't keep track of all the people for whom I pray, I have asked my Guardian Angel to take on this task. It alleviates the burden of remembering.) Why not do the same?!

[NYer]

Knowing little of his religion, I didn't realize this incredible difference between us.

You still have time so check out EWTN's Journey Home program this evening. The guest is Deacon Adrian Straley, former member of the Disciples of Christ.

Future episodes include:

Apr 23 (re-air)
Journey Home Roundtable with
Fr. Gray Bean, David Currie, Steve Ray
Former Baptists

Apr 30
Deacon Joseph Pasquella
Former Eastern Orthodox deacon
 

[Kolokotronis]

"Deacon Joseph Pasquella
Former Eastern Orthodox deacon"

How very odd. I wonder what jurisdiction he was. The name, no sure guarantee itself, I'll readily admit, is not at all Orthodox.

[StAthanasiustheGreat]

Probably convert to Orthodoxy and convert back? Or her married into a Greek family ala My Big Fat Greek Wedding (no offense meant).

[Kolokotronis]

"Probably convert to Orthodoxy and convert back? Or her married into a Greek family ala My Big Fat Greek Wedding (no offense meant)."

Could be, or maybe his mother was Orthodox. My name isn't even remotely "Orthodox". I'm wondering if he wasn't a convert to some vagante or uncanonical sect. The fact that he was an "Eastern Orthodox deacon" along with his name points to a convert. There are not many "cradle Orthodox" deacons running around, but there are a number of convert deacons in a couple of the canonical jurisdictions and the non-canonical ones see deacons springing up like mushrooms after a summer rain. I simply cannot understand, in these times, why any serious RC or Orthodox would convert to the other unless it was for marriage purposes. There simply isn't any pressing theological or "salvific" need for it that I can see.

[NYer]

How very odd. I wonder what jurisdiction he was. The name, no sure guarantee itself, I'll readily admit, is not at all Orthodox.

"Pasquella" is obviously Italian. Guess we'll just have to tune in and watch in order to better understand his genesis and what provoked his change of heart.

[Kolokotronis]

"...and what provoked his change of heart."

Liquor, I'll bet it was liquor! That stuff makes people do all sorts of strange things.

[rogator]

"That's it -- patior -- deponent verb -- to suffer ..."

Perfect tense (participle) form of this verb is passus meaning suffered. This word is found in the Credo "...sub Pontio Pilato, passus et sepultus est...."