The Cross! The cross is an important symbol to people in all parts of world and throughout all time. For some it is a symbol of fear and suffering while for others it is a symbol of great rejoicing.
The Roman government was proficient at controlling the masses of peoples in the lands that their armies had conquered. Flogging and crucifixion were two very public effective means of controlling the masses. If you witnessed a crucifixion, you never wanted to go through that much pain and suffering so you would be submissive and do whatever the government wanted to avoid it. Sometimes the Romans would let the bodies decay on the cross so the stench would burn the image of suffering into every person’s memory. Many of the early Christians were crucified for their faith.
For Christians, the Cross is not the end. It is a symbol of the death Christ suffered which was overcome by his resurrection. On Good Friday, we hear the familiar chant: “Behold the wood of the cross, on which hung the Savior of the world!” We respond “O come let us adore.” The Cross is venerated for the symbol of love poured out for each of us by God’s only Son. The Cross became a symbol of joy because of the love that Christ gave us.
The Cross is vital to our Catholic faith. We use the Sign of the Cross all the time. When we enter the sanctuary, we bless ourselves with Holy Water making the Sign of the Cross as a reminder of our Baptism by water. The Catechism reads: “The sign of the cross, on the threshold of the celebration, marks with the imprint of Christ the one who is going to belong to him and signifies the grace of the redemption Christ won for us by his cross.”
We also learn from the Catechism that “The Church is born primarily of Christ’s total self-giving for our salvation, anticipated in the institution of the Eucharist and fulfilled on the cross.” The cross is ingrained in our Catholic faith.
We make the Sign of the Cross whenever we pray: both at the beginning of our prayer and at the end of our prayer. This is a reminder of our relationship with God. Whenever we make the Sign of the Cross, let us remember that we dedicate our entire lives, our mind, our soul, our very being, to loving and serving God. In the darkest times of our lives, the Sign of the Cross reminds us of the hope we have in God, that he will not forsake us.
Paul wrote in the second reading that Jesus “humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross”. Paul referred to the cross in a manner that showed that it was a horrific and shameful death. Paul continued “Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, …. and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
You see, it’s not just about the cross. It’s really about God’s love for the people he created; for the people who turned their back on him by sinning against his commands. The first reading makes that explicit. Israel sinned against God and God punished them by sending poisonous snakes. Healing required an action on the part of each person who was bitten by the snakes. The person who was bitten had to look at the bronze image of the snake to be healed. Not everyone who was bitten would look at the bronze image but only the ones who looked were healed.
The same is true for us today. Father John Foley, a Jesuit Priest, wrote “Jesus, in effect does the same thing at the end of his life. He himself is lifted up on the cross, like the serpent, and ever since then, those who will contemplate the savior in his pain and death are given the grace to behold their own distance from God — their sin.”
By acknowledging our sinfulness and taking ownership of our sins, we can ask God to forgive us. We must take action; we must take ownership of our sins and look to the Cross and ask for forgiveness. We find forgiveness through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Then we can receive God’s gift of eternal life that is a result of his love described in today’s Gospel: “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” What a tremendous love! God wants to return us to communion with him even though we have sinned.
Once we have acknowledged our sins and received God’s forgiveness, it is impossible to keep that much love to ourselves. We must share it with others. That’s what happened to Peter and the Apostles after Pentecost. They boldly proclaimed the Risen Christ regardless of the threats or consequences.
At times, it is difficult to share God’s love. Especially when others, even family members, have hated us and mistreated us. We put up barriers to protect ourselves from others but a little bit of us dies with each barrier. We retreat from God’s love trying to protect ourselves. If we are not careful, we may even begin to hate or wish evil on those who mistreat us. We must forgive others in order to receive God’s full forgiveness ourselves.
The Christians in Iraq and Syria are being martyred today because of their faith. It’s not even happening in our country or to us but it is easy to feel hatred toward the ISIL. Can we forgive the ISIL for these atrocities the same way that Jesus forgave those who crucified him? It is so easy for us to hold grudges and separate families over things that are insignificant by comparison.
The Cross is powerful. Every time you see a Crucifix, whether it is hanging around your neck, hanging on the wall in our homes or a large one hanging in the sanctuary of our church, let us make the Sign of the Cross to remind us of God’s great love for us and to ask for strength to share that love with others.
Will the Cross be a reminder to us of God’s love? Or will it just be a cross that is pretty to look at but just a work of art without any meaning? Will the Cross be a reminder of God’s love for me? Will we take the first step this week to forgive the friend or family member who mistreated us? Will we go out of our way to share God’s love with everyone? Even those who hate us?
