Word to the Wise
Monday, September 14, 2009 - The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
[Numbers 21:4B-9; Philippians 2:6-11; John 3:13-17]"And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. "
Some friends of mine have a wall of crosses in their living room. They have acquired them from different sources, including one from me, and have them hanging in a very nice way on a long wall. Notice that I say a wall of "crosses" and not a wall of "crucifixes." The body of Jesus may be on one or two but most are crosses, not crucifixes. I think if they were all crucifixes, the impact would be overwhelming and make folks uneasy! Their collection comes to my mind as we celebrate the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy CROSS. It is possible to see the cross as simply the mode of execution of Jesus and leave it at that. (This would be particularly true if we're looking at a crucifix and our attention is directed more to the body of Jesus.) It is possible to see the cross as the symbol of Christianity simply because it was the means of Jesus' execution (as contrasted to an empty tomb). But can we imagine the cross as the symbol of redemptive suffering? In other words, can we see the cross as more than a symbol of one person's one-time suffering long ago, and instead see that cross as not just someone else's redemptive suffering, but as an invitation to us to join in that redemptive suffering? Does not Jesus himself tell us that we must pick up our cross daily to follow after him? (Matthew 10:38) Can we accept a symbol of violent execution as a symbol of love? I think most of us see the cross as the symbol of Christianity until the body of Jesus is placed on it, and then it takes on a whole different picture. The separation of understanding is unfortunate because the cross then becomes Jesus' unfortunate fate but not our own! This feast day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross may have its roots in the particular pieces of wood used for Jesus, but the branches reach out to each of us. AMEN
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