THREE GALLONS OF MEANING

DOES YOUR TANK HAVE THE CAPACITY TO HOLD THREE GALLONS OF MEANING? To store the revelation that Jesus released into the Valley of Tears that God loves us dearly, Jesus deposited three gallons of meaning on the road from the Crucifixion to the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 1:17) .  From this repository, the revelation is distributed to the children of Adam and Eve across time and space. The vehicle for the distribution of the revelation is the Mass.

One gallon of meaning was deposited into the Crucifixion on the near side of the Cross of Christ. 

One gallon of meaning was deposited into the Resurrection on the far side of the Cross of Christ. 

One gallon of meaning was deposited into the connection between the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. The connection between the Crucifixion and the Resurrection is the least understood but most important gallon of meaning of the three gallons of meaning. The connection between the Crucifixion and the Resurrection adds a layer of meaning above and beyond the meaning that each of the two events holds in and of itself.

The Crucifixion and the Resurrection are not separate, independent, unrelated events. The connection that joins the Crucifixion and the Resurrection together into two parts of a single unit is the symbiotic dance of question and answer. The symbiotic dance of question and answer weaves its way through his bloody wounds to tie the Crucifixion and the Resurrection together into an apocalyptic conversation - an interrogation to be precise. In the Crucifixion, we shout our sharp question to him with lash, thorns, nails and spear. “Who are you, Jesus? identify yourself! Friend or foe? In the Resurrection, He whispers his gentle answer back to us (1 Kings 19:11-13).. He did not answer the evil that we did to him in kind. He did not require "an eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot" (Exodus 21:24). He did not give us a taste of our own medicine. Thankfully, he changed the tone of the conversation. He forgave us (Luke 23:34) The radical asymmetry between us and our God is highlighted by the radical asymmetry of our question and his answer (Isaiah 55:8-9). Are you privy to the conversation? The Crucifixion and the Resurrection cooperate together to produce the answer to the question, 'Who is God?'.

Many who contemplate the Cross of Christ, unfortunately, have only a one gallon tank. A one gallon tank cannot handle three gallons of meaning. WHAT IS THE CAPACITY OF YOUR TANK (1 Corinthians 1:17)?