March 11, 2018: 4th Sunday Lent B
March 11, 2018: 4th Sunday Lent BClick to hear Audio Homily
Recently, I had to explain to a former Catholic who now belongs to a non-denominational church the essence of Catholic worship. I took the person near the sanctuary of our church and asked about the prominent features of the sanctuary that are different from her church. What stood out for her was the crucifix which is not in her church sanctuary. When a non-Catholic Christian asks us, “Why do you Catholics have Jesus on a cross? Didn’t he resurrect,” how should we respond?
Often I ponder the crucifixion by recalling the scene from the movie The Passion of Christ when large nails were driven through the hands and feet of Jesus by brutal soldiers. This was no small sacrifice by Jesus. He took upon himself all our sins because of his commitment to fulfill his Father’s will, and because of his great love for us. When we inflict pain on others through our harsh words and actions, it’s as if we are pounding the nails into the hands and feet of Jesus. Perhaps we discriminate against others, judging others because of their color, intelligence, income level, or name. At times we forget that we are to live as a brother or sister to all people.
Our Lord invites us to look at the cross on which he was nailed and died. As we gaze at the crucifix, we are reminded that sometimes we have to take the difficult path of sacrifice which at times forego comfort and success. When some type of suffering comes our way, we are called to follow Our Lord’s footsteps, embracing our cross daily and carrying it with the strength and inspiration that is the fruit of our prayer before the crucifix.
The crucifix is not only a visible reminder of our sins and rejection of God, it’s also a powerful testament of God’s love for us and promise of resurrection, as John attests in our Gospel:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” St. Paul also reminds us, “God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ — by grace you have been saved.”
In a few weeks, we will lift up the cross during our Good Friday service. As we ponder about the cross Jesus embraced and the cross that Our Lord is asking us to embrace, let it sink in to our hearts that when we gaze at His Cross, we will be healed, “Behold, behold, the wood of the Cross. On which is hung our salvation. O’ Come let us adore!”
As Catholic Christians we believe in and trust in all that has followed that day of crucifixion … We believe in the Resurrection of Christ and that we too will be with Jesus in heaven one day.
