Writer's Wednesday - Tom Allen and others

But why did Jesus have to die?

...death is not just the consequence of our sin, because in sinning, we turn our backs on God, the Source of our life. Jesus took the consequences of our sin--death--in our place.

As horrific as Jesus' death was, we need to appreciate a fundamental truth of human existence: authentic love involves sacrifice. Love involves the total giving of self. Love can even mean "[laying] down one's life for one's friends." (John 15:13). So there is transcendent meaning in sacrifice anbd suffering. If endured for the good of others, it is truly sanctifying and salvific. To a world that tries to avoid discomfort of any sort, this seems ridiculous. Instead, it is just one of the countless examples of how the way of Truth runs counter to human expectations. This, by the way, has always been the case. The first people to hear the story of Jesus were just as struck as we are today at the strangeness of it. St. Paul wrote 2000 years ago, "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18).

---A Guide to the Passion; 100 Questions about The Passion of the Christ.