Pascho

So since I have a life outside of Romania, I decided to create a blog about it. Crazy, I know. Most likely, no one will every find it, but at the same time, I feel so bold and daring that this is on the internet and someone could find it if they really wanted to.
Enough of that, the word I wanted to talk about today was pascho. It's a Greek word often translated as 'suffering' in the Bible. But in one instance (Acts 1:3) it is translated as passion! The suffering Jesus endured for us, translated as passion! At first I was tremendously confused. How could passion and suffering come from the same word? I am afraid that for a few seconds, I had entirely the wrong definition of passion in mind mind. Then I remembered.
I have been described as a passionate person. People have even told me they envy me my passion for things! In my mind I think that these people can't have experienced too much passion in their lives. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade my passions for anything. They are part of who I am. It is the indefinable ache that accompanies them that I feel isn't to be envied. This ache is part of the passion, but it brings to mind the suffering of Jesus. Not just on the cross.
The definition of pascho is 'to be affected or have been affected, to feel, have a sensible experience, to undergo' it can be used in a good or a bad context. When you are sick, you 'pascho' (suffer). When you are having an amazing day you 'pascho' (revel in the joy of it!). When you hang on a bloody cross to take away the sins of your children, who you love more than life itself... which is it? suffering or reveling. Oh wait, it's passion!
The ache I feel when I think about people, places, things that I am passionate about... how much more must Jesus have felt when he prayed, when he entered triumphantly into Jerusalem, when he said to Judas "You will betray me," when he hung on a cross and said, "It is finished!"? How much does he feel for me? The old reference to Jesus' sufferings known as "the passion" makes so much more sense. In fact, I think it has gained a new beauty for me in its rediscovery.
That is the extent of my thought on that. Maybe I will write a Bible study on it someday. Maybe I will just leave it here to marinate in cyber-space.