Word to the Wise
Friday, September 14, 2007 - The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
[Numbers 21:4B-9; Philippians 2:6-11; John 3:13-17]Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross
I've always found it strange that the symbol of Christianity is an instrument of execution! I suppose it would be even stranger to imagine that a hangman's noose or electric chair or guillotine could be the symbol of our faith! The early Christian hymn that St. Paul incorporated into his letter to the Philippians emphasizes not so much the death of Jesus, but his humiliation. How could someone who has "the form of God" not only take on the "form of a slave" but allow himself to experience the most humiliating form of death that the Roman empire had to offer? It's as if Jesus' generosity is being emphasized rather than his suffering! The theological term used for this aspect of the crucifixion is kenosis, a word meaning self-emptying. The feast of the Exaltation of the Cross allows us an opportunity to reflect on the cross itself (not so much the crucifix - a cross with the crucified Jesus of Nazareth on it) as a symbol. Do we see it as an instrument of unjust oppression? Or do we see it as an instrument of pain and suffering for all humanity? Or can we see it as an instrument of ultimate generosity - a self-emptying for you and for me? It may be that all of these may run through our minds and hearts. If so, we will have realized the richness of the celebration of this feast. AMEN
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