As we draw close to the three day festival of Easter (March 28-31,2024), we want to reflect on the implications of the cross of Jesus.
The cross is a very powerful symbol of the workings of God. It was here that Jesus gave of his life in faithful service and obedience to God the Father and to all human beings. From the very beginning Christians have interpreted this event as the sacrifice of the Suffering Servant who offered his life as a sacrifice of redemption for all people. It was in and through this religious sacrifice that we were redeemed; our sins were forgiven and we were joined to God.
But from the earliest times Christians have not seen the cross as limited only to a historical moment in Jerusalem. The sufferings of the cross continue to happen today. Good Friday is very much a now event.
Whenever one human being suffers at the hands of another human being, the cross of Jesus happens all over again. In our pain and suffering we also cry out for redemption. What we are doing is joining our sufferings with the sufferings of Jesus.
The first place we want to identify is the victims of war and civil conflict. Who cares about the destruction of the homes of the elderly and the working people when the bombs fall in the Ukraine? In Gaza? Does anyone measure the pain and suffering of the people who are short on food in these war -zones?
Who measures the pain and tears that result from domestic abuse? No longer can this be buried under the table as a family secret, but as a society we are demanding responsibility for the damage that was done in domestic suffering. The cross can be so real in our own homes.
From time to time ,family members will deposit their elderly parent in the nursing home and then only show up on rare occasions. Someone else will take care of our elderly parent. We do not inconvenience our lives. The pain of loneliness and abandonment are a cross of great suffering.
During the liturgy on Good Friday ,we are all invited to reverence the wood of the cross. This has always been very meaningful to our parishioners. Their body language indicates that this is a very holy moment. They touch the wood of the cross, but their hearts are being touched by the hand of Jesus. There is a true encounter between the believer and the suffering Jesus in these moments.
As the reader, you can add many more examples of the cross of Jesus happening today in our world and in our province. When we make the link our reverence for the cross of Jesus during the Good Friday liturgy will deepen.
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