And again another scripture says, "They shall look upon him whom they have pierced." - John 19:37

On the cross, our Lord must have looked at the faces of his executioners and experienced the sharp frustration which comes from being subject to principalities and powers beyond one’s capacity to shape or control. For a time, he must have felt like a helpless victim of cruel, cosmic circumstance. You and I, then, should not have too much trouble empathizing with the crucified Jesus. We, too, are beset by forces which seem beyond our capacity to mold or influence. Consider, for example, the Tylenol poisonings and their impact upon our national consciousness; how they underscored our frightening vulnerability. In our society, it seems, there is no end to the process of creating victims.

Psychi…