FEAST OF THE TRIUMPH OF THE CROSS
Monsignor Latour - Annunciation of the Lord Parish, Ottawa ON, Canada
Sunday, September 14th, 2008
Magnets are fascinating things. Many people marvel at how a magnet attracts other objects to itself. Some magnets are very small, like the ones in two very tiny plastic dogs that I used to play with as a child. I spent a lot of time making them chase each other around the top of our dining room table when I was growing up at home. Other magnets can be quite large and very powerful, strong enough to lift a car, a truck, or even a large bus.
There was undoubtedly something very magnetic about Jesus when He lived in on this earth. From the time of His birth in Bethlehem, He attracted people - people from all walks of life, starting with the poor Jewish shepherds who were watching their sheep at night in the fields near where Jesus was born, and the learned and rich Gentile Magi, who came from the east and brought Him expensive gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. As a child, Jesus attracted the attention of the elderly and holy man, Simeon, when Mary and Joseph brought their new-born Son to the Temple, and He attracted the attention of King Herod, who sought to have Him killed for He was seen as a threat to His rule. As a man in His public ministry, Jesus attracted the tax collectors and sinners, as well as fishermen and others like Peter, James, and John, whom He called to be apostles, and Martha and Mary and their brother Lazarus who were His close friends in Bethany. Jesus attracted Nicodemus, who was one of the Pharisees, and who came to see Jesus one night asking Him to show him the way to eternal life, and He attracted the attention of another Pharisee, named Saul, who began a campaign to have all of Jesus’ followers arrested and jailed before Saul was dramatically converted himself.. Jesus was a magnet for all persons, but especially for those who were hurting spiritually or physically. Jesus attracted sinners who wanted the forgiveness of God, and He attracted those who were crippled, blind, or deaf, or mute, as well as the lepers who came to be healed by Jesus. Large crowds of people came from all over Galilee, Judea, and neighboring places to hear Jesus speak the Word of God. They said He spoke with such authority and not like the Scribes and Pharisees. Finally, from the Cross Jesus attracted the attention of the good thief, who was crucified beside Him, as well as the Roman centurion standing nearby, who when Jesus died said: “In truth, this man was a Son of God.”.(Mk.15:39)
Down through the centuries there has always been a strong interest in the Person of Jesus of Nazareth, for He had a magnetism which attracted people of every language and nation to come to Him, and to His Cross. Today, in our sacred liturgy, we celebrate the feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross of Jesus. It was on the Cross of Calvary that Jesus triumphed over death, as He freely gave His life as a ransom for us. He paid the price which we should have paid, the price which we owed for our sins. His Cross is the throne from which He reigns over the entire world. It is the sign, not of defeat, but of His victory, a victory which He desires to share with us as He invites us to receive the benefits of His act of redemption. The Church sees Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension as one great act of His love for us, as three parts of one event. Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension comprise the most important event in human history because it brought about the redemption of the whole and allowed us to be reconciled with God. That is why we honor the Cross of Christ, and why it should have an important place in our daily lives. We place the Cross on the steeples of our Churches, and in prominent places inside our places of worship. We place the Cross in the classrooms of our schools and in a visible place in our homes. We carry the crucifix on our rosary beads and wear it around our necks, all to remind us and others of the great love God has for us, of the great love which allowed Jesus to sacrifice His life for us. We trace the sign of the Cross on ourselves whenever we pray, and when we come into a Church we make the sign of the Cross on ourselves with holy water recalling our baptism by which we share in Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension.
From the Cross, Jesus draws to Himself all who are broken in body or spirit, all who are hurting,, and all who, being aware of their human weakness, come to Him for healing. All who long for reconciliation with God will find it when they turn to Jesus. What is it about the crucified Jesus that makes Him a magnet for people? Is it because He is the Divine Son of God, or it is because He is also human and we can identify with Him in His humanity? On this earth, Jesus lived a very simple, humble life as an itinerant preacher and was always concerned for the welfare of others. Are we attracted to Jesus because we know that He suffered great physical and mental pain, and therefore He can identify with us in our sufferings in this life? Are we attracted to Jesus because we know that He has a servant’s heart, that He is a peace-maker, and desires us to live in peace and love with others? Are we drawn to Jesus because He invites us to come to Him without fear of recrimination or blame, but simply to come and be forgiven and renewed by His gift of love? Jesus is the Good Samaritan of His own parable, who lovingly cared for the man who had been beaten and left lying half-dead by the side of the road. He is the One who pours oil on our wounds, who picks us up and takes us to the inn for rest and healing. The Cross of Jesus is a powerful symbol of the infinite love which burns in the sacred heart of Jesus for each one of us, and which is a powerful magnet attracting all human hearts to Himself.
A very conscientious and caring nurse was looking after a very sick man in the hospital, when one day, as she was about to leave his room, she asked him: “Is there anything else you need?” Knowing that she was a Christian he startled her by his answer: “Yes”, he said, “I need God.” The truth is we all need God. Instinctively our human nature searches for God, because we have been made in the image and likeness of God, and only God can fully satisfy the longings of our hearts. St. Augustine expressed this truth in prayer when he said: “O Lord, my soul is restless, and it cannot rest until it rests in You.” We need God, and we need Jesus to reveal God to us, and to bring us into the fullness of God’s Presence.
There is an interesting thing about really powerful magnets. It is that they cause a piece of metal that stays attached to them over a long period of time, to itself become a magnet. In a similar way, the more we are in union with Jesus, the more we become like Him, and the more we are able to attract others to Him. Once the great Hindu founder of modern India, Gandhi, was asked if he might think about becoming a Christian, and he answered: “ Yes, I can accept your Christ, but I want nothing to do with you Christians?” Unfortunately, it is true to say that as individuals and as a Church community we have often failed to show Jesus’ love and compassion to others. We have, at times, even prevented them from discovering Jesus in us. Let us humbly and sincerely admit our sinfulness, repent of sin in our lives, and seek to become better witnesses for Jesus in the days to come. Today’s feast of the Triumph of the Cross gives us hope and assures us that no failure on our part to love God or to love others need be a permanent thing. Jesus forgives us and when He forgives us it is over; it is as if the sin never happened in the first place. He can do that because He has paid the price for our sins, He has ransomed us from sin, and reconciled us to God. Jesus is our Saviour and our Lord.
In today’s Gospel passage we heard:: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (Jn: 3:16-17) Love was the reason Jesus died on the Cross. Love is His gift to us today and every day. Jesus says to us: “What I command you is to love one another as I have loved you.” (Jn. 15:17) .