Being from Holy Cross Parish we should often reflect on the Holy Cross of Jesus. I will begin with the most famous quote from scripture about the Cross of Jesus:
1 Corinthians 1:22-24 "For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."
Crucifixion was the worst punishment for the worst crimes. To be crucified was a horrible scandal. To Jewish people anyone who hung on a Tree was considered cursed by God. Jesus is very important to Muslims, but they say that Jesus did NOT go to the cross. Muslims believe that Jesus' death was just an illusion and God saved Jesus from the cross.
What did the ancient Romans think? Lets look at art. The oldest picture of the crucifixion of Jesus known is a piece of graffiti. It is from a Roman citizen mocking Christians. They showed Jesus being crucified with the head of a donkey, and a man with his arms outstretched in prayer with a cation saying: "Alexamenos worships his God." Here is the picture:
The Roman gentiles thought the idea of God going to the cross pure foolishness. This picture reminds of us that scandal of the time. Christians saw beyond the scandal. Christians saw beyond the horrors of torture in the cross. Christians saw the revelation that: GOD IS LOVE. In recognizing the theological reality of God's love in the cross, Christians could see the BEAUTY of the CROSS. To Christians the cross reveals the power and wisdom of God.
PS: When Mel Gibson's movie came out "The Passion of the Christ" many Christians said that it would bring the conversion of many. I disagreed. To a Christian it was a powerful movie that revealed the TOTAL and AWESOME love of God. To atheists or non-Christians, they may see the movie as just the torture of a human being and a horrible film.
But for Christians, "in hoc signo vincet".
Peace
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