by Sister Karen Lueck
I hope you were able this past week to sense and experience what it would be like to truly focus on the resurrected Jesus like our long-ago ancestors in the faith were able to do. The present over-emphasis in Christianity on Jesus’ death without pairing it with his resurrection harms us in many ways. Let me explain.
During the late eleventh century, the church was trying to systematize its theological beliefs so that all Christians would believe the same things. As you can imagine, this led to a lot of debates between educated clerics. One such cleric and theologian named Anselm put forth this argument to answer the question “Why did Jesus die on the cross?” He believed that humans were such sinners that no way would they be able to get to heaven unless God interceded for them. So, according to Anselm’s theory, God became human in Christ in order to offer his death as a payment for humanity’s sins. This view has predominated in Christian belief to this day. If you ask many Christians why Jesus died on the cross, most would answer, “to save us from our sins.” The Franciscan Richard Rohr has noted this: “[This theory] has often been called ‘the most unfortunately successful piece of theology ever written.’”
Why unfortunately? Because the theory assumes a God who is judgmental, petty and focused on sin. What happened to the freely-given, all-encompassing love of God for us? Moreover, the theory focuses on humans as basically sinners, which increases shame in people for having “killed” Jesus. (As you might know from reading my book, shame squelches the spark of the Divine within us and causes us to hide - not a good thing). The theory also overly focuses on the individual rather than on the evil forces working against good in Jesus’ time. And most of all, this theory implies that the only purpose of the Incarnation was to save us from our sins.
Franciscans, thankfully, did not go along with this theory. In the thirteenth century, a Franciscan named Duns Scotus put forth an alternate theory as to why Jesus died on the cross. He argued that the Incarnation was planned by God from the beginning, not to make up for human sin, but to proclaim God’s great love for the world and its people. Jesus was killed because he was a force for good, and the powers of the world couldn’t let him win. (The same thing is still happening today, as we well know).
But good always wins out in the end.
Jesus overcame death through the resurrection, and he continues through his Spirit to inspire and help us to speak out and collectively work for the good to expose evil for what it is, knowing that we will also win out.
This Franciscan view of Jesus’ death and resurrection gives me much solace and courage. We are not alone. Jesus’ Spirit is with us helping us rise each day. I echo Elizabeth A. Johnson’s words from her book "Friends of God and Prophets:”
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“Down through the centuries, as Holy Wisdom graces person after person in land after land, situation after situation, they form together a grand company of the friends of God and prophets; a wisdom community of holy people praising God, loving each other, and struggling for justice and peace in this world; a company that stretches backward and forward in time and encircles the globe in space.”
-Elizabeth A. Johnson
"Friends of God and Prophets"
About Sister Karen
Karen Lueck is a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration. She has spent much of her life recognizing the goodness in herself and others. As an educator, mental health counselor, spiritual director and leader in her congregation of Catholic Sisters, she acted as a cheerleader for the people with whom she ministered. In her first book, "Cheering for the Good: Leading When It Matters," Sister Karen's urges all of us to step up and be the change.
Her new book, "The Green Thread: Reclaiming Our Spiritual Authority," is part memoir, part research narrative about what happens when church and earthly powers form an unholy alliance to keep people, especially women, subservient. "The Green Thread" debuted in September 2025. Follow this Lenten series by visiting Sister Karen's author page here.