Monday, September 15, 2008

Sign of Salvation?


Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus,
make me aware of my sinfulness, whenever I see your cross as salvific sign.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the cross. Is it not ironical that we exalt an instrument of execution? Despite its obvious cruelty and infamy, the cross has become a central symbol of our faith. Because of Jesus’ love radiating from the cross, it has become the sign of our salvation and the cause of our joy.

The bronze serpent referred to in the 1st reading (Num. 21:4-9) stands as a salvific sign reminiscent of the cross. Moses' lifting up of the bronze serpent in the desert is compared to the lifting up of Jesus on the cross and in his resurrection (Gospel Jn:3:13-17). In the early Christian Hymn quoted by Paul in today’s 2nd reading (Phil. 2:6-11), the cross of Jesus is celebrated as the passage through which Jesus accomplished the salvation of mankind.

Besides its value as the sign of our salvation, the cross, according to psychologist Kelsey, is also a vivid symbol of the evil that is in each of us. In an article titled “The Cross and the Cellar”, Kelsey suggests that each of us has an ordinary personality which we “wear” in public; underneath that public persona is a cellar which hides the refuse and rubbish which we would rather not see ourselves or let others see. Below that, there is an even deeper hold, a truly hellish place, full of dragons, demons, violence, hatred and viciousness. The cross is crucial because it shows what possibilities for evil lie hidden in each of us. Whenever we look upon the cross we see not only what the love of God for sinners can do, but also what mankind can do, has done and still does to human beings.

Scratch the surface of a person, says Kelsey and below you’ll find a beast or worse than a beast. This reality is attested to by the cross. History also attests to this reality. Remember the Nazi concentration camps where six million Jews were systematically tortured, starved and eventually gassed to death by other human beings. Recall the untold numbers of wars within nations, ironically called civil wars. Remember Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Waco, Columbine, Iran and more recently, Iraq. All of these and so many other atrocities come together and stare out at us from the cross.

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