Word to the Wise
Monday, September 14, 2015 - Sept. 14 - The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
[Num 21:4b-9; Phil 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." [Philippians]
It has ever been a paradox to me that the primary symbol of Christianity was an instrument of execution in the Roman empire in the time of Jesus. Scholars of liturgical art tell us that it took some time before the cross did become a symbol. One reason for that seems to have been that Jesus' form of death was a scandal to many people. The Romans reserved crucifixion for criminals and rebels. How could the savior of humankind have been crucified? Theologians speak of "the scandal of the cross." Surely Jesus did not intend to endorse the Roman practice! St. Paul's words, "even death on a cross," show just how difficult this idea was.
The gospels do note that Jesus spoke about the cross in his preaching. If we are to be his disciples we must take up our cross daily. In the cloister of the Dominican priory of San Marco in Florence there is a painting by the great Dominican artist, Fra Angelico, of St. Dominic kneeling at the foot of the cross and embracing it. I can't see him (or myself) embracing an electric chair or a gallows. I have celebrated Mass at the spot where tradition says Jesus died on the cross, but it is so covered with candles and golden objects that the starkness of the event can be lost in incense and wax.
The passages from the Book of Numbers and the Gospel of John show how the early Christian community began to interpret the terrible scandal. The cross is seen as a "lifting up" - a saving act foreshadowed by Moses. The resurrection was the primary preaching for a long time, but then the understanding of how Jesus embraced the suffering of all humankind and its sins as well began to take shape. This feast day allows us to think seriously about the cross as well as about the crucifix. The latter was a saving event. The former is an invitation. AMEN
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