The fourth article of the Apostles’ Creed is: Jesus Christ “suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.”

This article expresses the mystery of Redemption. Like the mystery of the Incarnation, it is good for us to explore the mystery of Redemption by asking the six basic questions: What? Why? How? Who? When? Where?

What? Why? How?

What is Redemption? The Baltimore Catechism gives us this answer: “By the Redemption is meant that Jesus Christ, as the Redeemer of the whole human race, offered His sufferings and death to God as a fitting sacrifice in satisfaction for the sins of men, and regained for them the right to be children of God and heirs of heaven.”

To put it briefly, Redemption means “Christ died for our sins.”

Why did Christ die for our sins? Christ died for our sins so that we can have eternal salvation.

Regarding “Why,” let us explore a deeper question: why did Jesus use the cross to save us? Since God is almighty, He could have saved mankind without the cross.

For God, the cross is not absolutely necessary, but it is very fitting. From the crucifix we learn about the love of God, the horror of sin, and the acceptance of suffering.

The love of God expresses itself perfectly on the cross. Here on earth love and sacrifice cannot be separated. Jesus expresses His divine love for us with the “human language” of sacrifice.

The cross reminds us of the ugliness of sin. Jesus endured the consequences of sin on His body. The consideration of the wounds and blood on Jesus’s body helps us to abhor sin. Christ has paid the high price for our forgiveness with His precious Blood; we should be grateful for it, and not despise the blood of Christ by falling back into sin.

Jesus on the cross is our supreme example of the acceptance of suffering. One of the greatest “revolutions” of the Catholic faith is that Christ gives meaning to human suffering.

Christ offered His sufferings on the cross to merit grace for all mankind. Now we are invited to offer up our sufferings to help in applying the saving grace of Christ to mankind.

In times of suffering let us imitate Jesus on the cross: patient, forgiving, praying, and submitting to the will of God.

How did Christ redeem us? He suffered, died, was buried, and rose again. We meditate on the “how” of Redemption in the Five Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary and at the Stations of the Cross.

Who? When? Where?

Who redeemed us? Jesus redeemed us. Jesus is true God and true man. As God, His actions have infinite value. As man, He truly represents us. Jesus made His sacrifice on the cross on our behalf, and this sacrifice has infinite value to make up for the sins of all mankind.

When? Jesus died on Good Friday, and rose again on Easter Sunday. On Good Friday Jesus overcame sin, and on Easter Sunday He overcame death. Victory over sin is inseparable from victory over death.

Where? On Good Friday, Jesus died on Calvary or Golgotha, a place outside the city of Jerusalem. On Easter Sunday He rose again in the tomb located in the garden near Golgotha.

The devil overcame mankind through a tree; Christ overcame the devil through the tree of the cross. Adam was asleep when God formed Eve from his side; Christ slept the sleep of death on the cross when the Church was formed from His side. Death came to mankind in a garden, and now death is conquered in a garden!

宗徒信經的第四條信條是：「祂在比拉多執政時蒙難，被釘在十字架上，死而安葬」。

這一信條講及救贖的奧蹟。一如降生成人的奧蹟，我們研究這奧蹟時，同樣可從六個基本問題開始：何物？為何？如何？何人？何時？何地？

何物？為何？如何？

救贖是何物？跟據博秩模天主教要理，「救贖」的義思是:救主耶穌將自己的痛苦和死亡奉獻給天父，作為補贖人類罪惡的祭獻，並為人類重獲作天主兒女的權利和天堂的繼承權。

簡言之，「救贖」是「基督為罪人而死」。

基督為何要為罪人而死？基督為我們罪人而死，為使我們能夠得到永恆的救恩。

有關「為何」，讓我們進一步探討：為什麼耶穌要以十字架救贖我們？既然天主是

全能的，祂不用十字架也可以救贖我們。在天主而言，十字架不是絕對需要的，但十字架卻是十分適宜的。從主的十字架，我們認識到天主的愛、罪惡的恐怖和對苦難的接納。

十字架完滿地顯示了天主的愛。在世上愛和犧牲是分不開的。耶穌用「人類的言語」— 犧牲—來表達了祂神聖的愛。

十字架提醒我們罪過的醜惡。耶穌以祂的身體承受了罪過的惡果。回望耶穌身體的創傷和寶血，可以幫助我們憎厭罪惡。基督付出了高昂的代價，用祂的寶血去換取我們罪惡的寬恕；我們應該感謝祂，絕不應蔑視祂的聖血而再次墮入罪惡中。

十字架上的耶穌是我們接納痛苦的最好榜樣。天主教信仰其中一個最大的「革命」，就是「痛苦」因主耶穌而有了意義。基督奉獻了祂在十字架上的痛苦，為人類贏得恩寵。現在，我們也被邀請去奉獻我們的痛苦好能幫助將耶穌救贖的恩寵分施給人類。

痛苦的時候，讓我們效法在十字架上的耶穌—-忍耐、寬恕、祈禱、和順從天父的旨意。

基督如何救贖我們？祂受苦、受死、被埋藏和復活。我們可以藉玫瑰經痛苦五端和苦路善工來默想耶穌如何救贖了我們。

何人？何時？何地？

誰救贖了我們？主耶穌救贖了我們。祂是真天主又是真人。在天主性而言，祂所有的行為都有著無限的價值。在人性而言，祂真正的代表了我們。為我們的緣故，祂為我們犧牲在十字架上，這個犧牲為補償人類的罪過有著無限的價值。

何時？耶穌於星期五受難日死亡，並於星期日復活日從死者中復活。在受難日耶穌佂服了罪惡，在復活日祂佂服了死亡。戰勝罪惡與戰勝死亡是不能分開的。

何地？在受難日，耶穌死在耶路撒泠城外的加爾瓦略山或髑髏山。在復活日，衪在髑髏山附近的花園從墳墓中復活了。

魔鬼憑藉樹木戰勝了人類；基督憑藉十字木架去戰勝了魔鬼。亞當熟睡時，天主從他的肋旁造了亞娃；十字架上的基督因死亡而熟睡時，從祂的肋旁孕育了聖教會。死亡在花園中來到了人類；死亡也在花園中被征服。