Eucharistic Meditations - The Cross

The Cross floods our hearts with several stimulating thoughts: The Father's love for us - "God so loved the world …" It also speaks of Jesus' love for the Father - he would rather accept death on a cross than disobey his Father. The Cross further proclaims Christ's love for us: 'greater love no man has than that he lay down his life for his friends…' From being a despicable sign of total human degradation and rejection, Jesus has turned it into a resplendent banner of human freedom and heroic love. The magic wand he wove over it bringing about this transformation is his total, loving, obedient and free surrender into the Father's hands. Obedience makes the Cross desirable!

Lord, you taught us that we too can transform the atrocities of our daily human situation into a glorious crown by bringing our loving and trustful surrender to bear on these situations. However, the catch is: while the Father's unshakeable love was a living reality for you, we never seem to be able to hold on to this truth firmly and consistently. The slightest pain scuttles our convictions like nine pins. Fear paralyses our imaginations no sooner the prospect of the Cross looms large before us.

Simon of Cyrene seems such a hero, Lord, when we consider how he almost casually accepted a share of your Cross as you trudged your way to Calvary's height. You did not place too much of the burden on him, shouldering the heavier side of it yourself. You are present to us, too, shouldering our cross, never allowing us to be crushed or overpowered by its oppressiveness. You called your disciples to watch one hour with you as you grappled with conflicting options in Gethsemane; would you not stand by us as we struggle with ours? And then we could reach out to our suffering brothers and sisters, whose crosses weigh heavily on their bruised shoulders.

It is said that crosses are formed when God's will, like the vertical beam, goes contrary to our own desires and plans - which are the horizontal beam! We need to learn the art of placing our provisional plans alongside God's productive plans, and then we would have no crosses at all. But God's ways are not our ways, and hence we will always have a fair share of crosses, until we have learnt to put on the 'mind of Christ'.

St. Paul's understanding of the Cross opens up other vistas: to the Romans, he points out that the Cross is the sign put forth by the Father himself, to announce the unconditional gift of his forgiveness. He compares it to the Mercy Seat covered with the blood of the lamb on the day of Yom Kippur, guaranteeing forgiveness - just as the white ribbon replacing the red one across the main doorway did. Heading the procession at the beginning of the Eucharist, the Cross proclaims that God is on our side and that every Eucharist celebrates God's forgiving (or fore-given) love.