Do you wear a cross or a crucifix? What does it mean to you?
The cross of Christ, in the form of the crucifix, is something we see every time we enter our church. It is a familiar and maybe even beloved representation of our Savior, and of the salvation he came to offer us. But might there be a danger in that familiarity?
Christ entered into our humanity for our salvation, he became human for our sake, and then he suffered unspeakable pain, physical and emotional, giving his body for our redemption, a body in which we partake daily, in Eucharist. The cross – whether it be one we wear or one we reverence upon entering this church – is not just a symbol of private devotion, or a badge of membership. It should not be used to impose a particular creed, but to stand as a sign of love, the consummate sign of God’s love, signaling hope and mercy and forgiveness as we lift our eyes to it every day, and as we lift it – the cross itself – in our hearts, exalting this extraordinary gift from a God who loved us enough to die, on a cross, for our sins.
May we embrace the cross, his cross and our own, lifting our eyes to our salvation, with deep appreciation for all of God’s action in our lives.
--Communion Service Reflection,
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Mill Valley,
September 14, 2021
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