Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
John 18:1-19:42
It is finished.
And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.
Today, we
reach at the peak of our Lenten observance. And as we gather together as
mournful believers, we try to recapture the mood of that one Good Friday
afternoon when the Son-God offered his everything for the salvation of the
world.
Our
celebration has three main parts: the liturgy of the Word, the Veneration of
the Cross, and the Communion. Let us focus at the veneration of the cross, and
start with the most fundamental question: Why do we venerate the Cross?
Anyone can
give a very righteous answer to it. But as we remember that Calvary event, we
bend our knees before the cross with hearts and souls prostrate since the cross
is a greatest reminder of two extreme realities humanity must never forget:
one, it reminds us of the cruelty of man; two, it also reminds us of the
compassion of God.
1. We must
remember that the cross is the most shameful form of punishment to criminals
and outlaws. The cross is a form of sentence and anyone who is condemned to die
on it must suffer not only the pains it brings but also the scandal and shame
attached to it. Such being the case, the poor man who is condemned to the cross
certainly loses his face, his dignity, his very self.
This is
precisely what happens to Christ. For all intents and purposes, for all good
and bad reasons alike, the wood of the cross is a symbol of the cruelty of man.
It is where Christ loses his face, his dignity, his very self. In the language
of St. Paul, the cross is the symbol of Christ's kenosis, his total
self-emptying (cf Phil 2:6-11). On the cross, Christ not only humbles himself,
but also he himself is totally humiliated. Such humiliation comes from all
sides and in all aspects.
Firstly,
Christ suffers physical humiliation. This is most evident. His enemies are all
out to destroy him, so eager and so determined as to put him to death even on
the cross. Thus, the way of the cross is first and foremost a physical ordeal.
And no one can belie the severe physical pains that have tormented his poor
human body. He is bruised and wounded. He is exhausted and he dies.
Secondly,
Christ suffers religious humiliation. Not contented with the physical
mockeries, Jesus is accused as Son of God. This religious accusation
saddens him so much He knows that what they are saying is most true. He is
really the Son of God. But they are saying it not because they believe in it
but because this is their main accusation against him. In other words, it comes
not as a testimony of faith but as an accusation of a religious crime. Such
being the case, it becomes a humiliation than exaltation.
Thirdly, Christ is similarly humiliated by their
political accusation that he is the king of the Jews. Like the religious
humiliation, this comes as an accusation, too. Although it is all true that he
is the king of the Jews and the kings far that matter - they enforce this accusation against him in order to
instigate hatred and anger not only among his fellow Jews but also among the
Romans. As we see, therefore, both religious and political accusations are
meant to insult him, belittle him, demean him and put all the shame on him.
Finally, Christ
suffers moral humiliation. This is in no way a lesser degree of humiliation. It
is even in many respects more painful. This takes in the form of indifference
and betrayal. And being so, such indifference and betrayal could come
not really from his enemies, but from people close to him. This makes the
situation more offensive and painful.
During his
public ministry, Jesus was there for all kinds of people. He always tried to be
available at all times and in all occasions. Sometimes, he could even hardly
take a rest for himself because he was there to comfort them in their problems
and anxieties; he was there to cure their sickness and afflictions. More so, if
Jesus spent time with the ordinary folks, so did he with his chosen disciples.
In fact, he was with them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, teaching them not only
about the lessons of the gospel everyday could hear but also revealing to them
the secrets of the kingdom. Surely, those were the disciples' happy moments
with the Lord. But when that
tragic moment of test finally came, all we see is their indifference and even
their betrayal. Save perhaps to a few women who beat their breasts and shed
their tears, no one came to the open to support him. No one stood up to give
witness to all the good things said and did. Instead, they drifted away in
shame and fear. Some might have even joined the rallying crowd shouting for his
crucifixion. Others and indeed even his disciples would finally disown him.
What cruel experience! What a cruel humanity!
2. But over
and above the cruelty of man, the cross shines as an eternal symbol of divine
love and compassion. Indeed, God could have saved man in many other ways. Even
a simple wish on the part of God would suffice. And it would just be as good as
the way he already had it. But no. God chose no other means. He chose the cross. This we can understand very well if we remember
that the cross is Gods most "humanized" way of communicating his
love to man.
Human
experience teaches us about that great love, which every parent has for his
child. This must be the reason why although the child becomes the black sheep
of the family, the parent could hardly afford to punish him severely. Even
perhaps his child becomes the most delinquent in the community or the hardest
of all criminals, still the parent cannot afford to see him punished by death.
Why? Because no matter what, the child is always the parents' most precious
one. Call it whatever you want, but still the father or mother calls it love.
Perhaps, this would be the last thing a father or mother surrenders, if ever he
or she of surrendering it at all.
But not in
the case of God. For the sake of man and the world, he sent his only begotten
Son. And he sent his Son to die for us. Worse, his death was no ordinary. It
was death on the cross, the most shameful of all. His son was not a black
sheep; he was the good shepherd. His son was no delinquent; he was most obedient. But the Father gives him
on the cross.
Should we
not, then, venerate the cross?