PRAYER: “O GOD, WHO WILLED THAT YOUR ONLY BEGOTTEN SON SHOULD UNDERGO THE CROSS TO SAVE THE HUMAN RACE, GRANT, THAT, THAT WE, WHO HAVE KNOWN HIS MYSTERY ON EARTH, MAY MERIT THE GRACE OF HIS REDEMPTION IN HEAVEN. THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, YOUR SON, WHO LIVES AND REIGNS WITH YOU IN THE UNITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, GOD, FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN”.
Num 21:4-9; Ps 77:1-2,34-38; Phil 2:6-11; and Jn 3:13-17.
“Behold the wood of the Cross, on which our Saviour hung; come, let us adore” (Good Friday Liturgy).
Today, all three readings speak of exaltation or lifting: the bronze serpent in the Book of Numbers, the hymn in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, Jesus’ reference to the Son of Man being lifted in John’s Gospel. The Father exalted Jesus because of his humility and obedience. May we learn to imitate Jesus, our Lord and Master.
The Cross of Christ is a great contradiction. Death and life, hatred and love, violence and peace, accusation and forgiveness, sin and purity, brokenness and wholeness, all is lost yet everything is gained, destruction and restoration, defeat and victory. Once the cruel form of execution, yet now it is a symbol of abundant life. It gives positive meaning to the ‘negatives’.
The Cross is a symbol of Christ’s love for sinful humanity. Christ died on it for sinners. In fact, on the cross, Jesus Christ shows us his greatest love by laying down his dear life for his loved ones. His life can be perfectly described as a grain of wheat that falls into the earth and dies, and therefore, not remaining alone as a single grain, it produces much fruit (“something must die for the soup to be palatable” (‘Bong kanga bile mang kpi ka ziere noma’ – Dagaaba proverb). He died for people who had lost their way. He did not die because it was forced upon him. It was a choice made in love. Christ hung on the cross on purpose. He could choose to live as he pleased, but he chose to give his life for our sake. Galatians 2:20 says that we have been crucified with Christ. As Christians, we are to be dead to our will, as Christ was. Our life’s prayer should be, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” And just like Jesus, it is our responsibility to act on our prayer.
Christ’s death on the Cross was also an act of his will. In Philippians 2:7-8 (a portion we are reflecting on today), Paul states that Jesus humbled himself in obedience and died a criminal death on the Cross. Sometimes we mistakenly think that he made that decision as God. Jesus came to the conclusion to die for humanity as a human. He willed his flesh, mind, and emotions to die on the Cross. By that will (that is the will of Jesus as a human being, not the will of God), we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all (Hebrews 10:10).
The Cross is a symbol of our salvation, our redemption. It is the sign of Christian faith. It represents, in our lives, whatever persecution, suffering, pain, hardship, disappointment, trouble, torture and the like that we are going through in this earthly life. Such moments are the crosses in our life. See Jesus Christ as your model and carry them daily to him and follow him: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must carry his/her cross daily and follow me’. It also goes without saying that ‘there is no glorification without the Cross’, ‘no joys/happiness without suffering and pain’. If we understand the above, then we should know that we cannot do without suffering and hardships (our crosses) in this world; otherwise, in our sufferings, we may run here and there for unsuccessful deliverance and salvation.
The Cross of Christ we celebrate today is not only a symbol and source of our salvation and redemption, but it is also our source of healing. In faith, it brings spiritual and sometimes physical healing to us from sicknesses or diseases caused by our sinful and evil deeds. As we celebrate and gaze at the Cross of Christ today, like what the Israelites did when Moses mounted the bronze serpent on the pole and were healed, let us allow Christ, through his Cross, to heal us from past hurts, pains, problems, and evil deeds that have made us sick. Let us not hold on to past hurt, pain, sinful deeds and problems. Let us look to the Cross and receive our salvation. Stay blessed and happy Feast of our Salvation.
WE MEDITATE TODAY, MONDAY, ON THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES: ‘THE ANNUNCIATION, THE VISITATION, THE BIRTH OF JESUS, THE PRESENTATION IN THE TEMPLE AND THE FINDING OF THE CHILD JESUS IN THE TEMPLE’. (LET US PRAY FOR HUMILITY, LOVE OF NEIGHBOUR, POVERTY IN SPIRIT, OBEDIENCE AND JOY IN FINDING JESUS) “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen”.
PRAYER: “HAVING BEEN NOURISHED BY YOUR HOLY BANQUET, WE BESEECH YOU, LORD JESUS CHRIST, TO BRING THOSE YOU HAVE REDEEMED BY THE WOOD OF YOUR LIFE-GIVING CROSS TO THE GLORY OF THE RESURRECTION. WHO LIVES AND REIGNS FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN”.
Rev. Fr. Aloysius Kpiebaya, Catholic Diocese of Wa, UW/R, Ghana. (00233) 0207867239/0545462863. Email: aloybaya20@yahoo.com.
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