Defensiveness, denial, rationalization, avoidance. What do these things have in common? It’s what we do when we avoid shame. None of us like to experience shame. None of us like to experience suffering. And we love to avoid. We love to deny. We love to distract ourselves because shame does not feel good. Here is the gospel, though, where Saint Peter does the same thing. He tells Jesus, “No, you cannot die. You cannot suffer. You cannot experience shame. I will protect you. I will defend you. We will avoid this.” But the reality is that Jesus Christ embraces all of these things. He embraces shame. He embraces suffering for us. This is what makes Christianity so radical that our God is not afraid to embrace shame and suffering for us. So the next time that you experience some shame or suffering, you know that your God has gone before you experience this with you.
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