LENT WEEK 2: DAY 13

Behold the wood of the cross on which hung the body of Christ. This is an invitation to raise our eyes and look at the cross on which the Lord won the victory for us. The cross and the crucified Christ are foolishness and stumbling blocks for those who do not believe but for those who believe it is the power of God to save (1 Corinthians 1:18). The cross before Christ was an instrument of torment used to punish those who faltered but Christ changed it into an instrument of victory. The instrument through which he made a public spectacle of the forces of darkness and held them captive in his victory (Colossians 2:14-15). He changed the cross from a figure of curse to that of a blessing (Galatian 3:13). The cross is the place where the holy exchange is made, the place where God gives us holiness in exchange for our sins and where he gives us victory in exchange of our defeats. We should therefore no longer be ashamed of the cross but rather embrace it and make it a part of our lives. We should as St Paul says make our boast on the cross for through it the world is crucified to us (Galatians 6:14) or better still we win victory over the world. We must learn to nail whatever is a hindrance to our lives and well-being on the cross. St Paul says belonging to Jesus is crucifying the flesh and its passions (Galatians 5:24). We not only crucify the flesh but all that is evil and holds us in captivity. The cross thus becomes a place of liberation where we can put an end to all our worries. All we have to do is learn to hang whatever it is on the cross and walk like free people. When trouble comes, do not shoulder it, simply nail it on the cross and move on. The danger here for believers will be to fall into the trap of the world and become enemies of the cross (Philippians 3:18) and consequently enemies of Jesus. Jesus makes it clear that you cannot be his friend if you do not make the cross a part of your life (Matthew 10:38). He will push further by saying whoever wants to be his friend must carry his cross (Matthew 16:24). This means that, you must make the cross your companion and take it with you wherever you go. St Paul in this light says he bears the marks of the passion of Christ in his body (Galatians 6:17), which signifies that he has shouldered his cross fully and is one with it (it is always with him) and for that reason, no one has the right to burden or trouble him again in any other way. Taking up your cross is the best way to put an end to every other burden life brings and stay safe from every evil manipulation. When you bear the cross, evil runs away from you because they already see in you a man associated with the suffering of Christ and so will see no reason to bring close to you, meaningless sufferings. The cross is so important and there is no other way to come to Jesus except through the cross. It is through the cross that Jesus draws men to himself (John 12:32) and it is still through it that he saves them. Just as Moses lifted the bronze serpent in the desert and it saved the Israelites, so too is Jesus lifted upon the cross to save all who look upon him (John 3:14-15). Every Christian must constantly raise their eyes to the cross for everything they need, be it for healing, for deliverance, freedom, and blessings. A beautiful comparison you can make to see how important the cross is is between the tree of knowledge where the serpent hung and deceived man to eat from it and brought death and the tree (cross) on which Jesus hung and is calling all men to come and harvest life from it. Through the fruit of the tree death reigns in the world, through the fruit of the renewed tree, life now reigns. We must all choose which tree we want to approach, the beautiful tree that leads to death or the ugly cross that gives life. The choice is yours but remember that the devil dreads the cross more than everything for on the cross he was humiliated and disgraced. Choose the cross and live.

In Corda Matris.

Resolutions

I resolve to accept the little burden God lays on me daily.
I resolve to carry my cross with joy and become an ambassador of the cross.
I resolve to love the cross and embrace it with joy.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I thank you for dying on the cross of Calvary for me. I thank you for unlocking the gates of heaven and for showing me the way. Teach me o lord to carry my cross and follow you. Give me the grace to accept the cross from you as a sign of your love for me and to accomplish in my flesh that which is left to suffer of your passion and by so doing assist you in saving the human race.

Amen.