The person to whom we pray, the man we hope to follow, the one who is risen from the dead, understands us–because he lived a human life, and one that, particularly in his final week, was filled with suffering.
Of course, this is hardly a new insight. The Letter to the Hebrews says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.” (Fr. James Martin, SJ)