RESPICE AD CRUCEM

The great Bishop Robert Barron once said “The crucifixion was the opening up of the divine heart so that we could see that no sin of ours could finally separate us from God.”. As Christians, many of us have at least one image of the cross we walk by or see in our daily routines—be it in our bedroom or living room, on our work desk or in the chapel—and often, we become desensitized to the reality of the cross and forget its impact, its message, and its conviction. This phenomenon can be contributed in majority to the context in which we view these images. It may be that when first displayed, these images of the crucified Christ were reminders that brought peace and meditation into our heart, but when surrounded by the daily routines we engage in, the image can seem to fade into the background and desensitization begins to take root in us. The faithful must work to cultivate a deep contemplation of the cross so that we may once again know and live the love of God. To understand the cross, the passion, the death, and finally the triumph of the Resurrection, we must first rid ourselves of worldly attachments and enter into the “monastery cell of our hearts, where God is present”.

During the season of lent, the faithful are invited to meet Jesus in the desert, and to journey with Him to the cross. I am reminded of Michelangelo’s masterpiece “The Creation of Adam”, and, more specifically, the hand postures of both Adam and God, as we approach the beginning of the liturgical season. In this thought provoking image, you will notice that both God and Adam are reaching for each other, however in very different capacities—Adam’s hand is extended rather delicately towards the heavens, weakly opened, quenched for life, but God’s hand is strong, and reaches with swiftness and assurance as he reaches to give Adam the “touch of life”. This is the same invitation we receive in lent—to enter the desert alone and meet Jesus there with nothing but our poor hearts, and it is there that we enter the journey to the cross, where our poor hearts are exchanged with His Sacred Heart. This journey is nothing less than a journey to death—a complete detachment from earthly attachments and desires, a complete emptying of the self so that we may accept the life we are to receive, when on Good Friday we meet Jesus at the cross, where the voice of the Apostle Paul echoes through the wind, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20). When we are confronted with the image of the cross, we are called to remember this reality of our own death and reception of the new life Christ gave to us, and to rejoice in the victory of the Lord, for “As they were looking on, so we too gaze on His wounds as He hangs. We see His blood as He dies. We see the price offered by the redeemer, touch the scars of His resurrection. He bows His head, as if to kiss you. His heart is made bare open, as it were, in love to you. His arms are extended that He may embrace you. His whole body is displayed for your redemption. Ponder how great these things are. Let all this be rightly weighted in your mind: as He was once fixed to the cross in every part of His body for you, so He may now be fixed in every part of your soul.”.

How do we cultivate the seeds of contemplation in our hearts—how can we come to the point where we may always “look to the cross”? The great St. Peter of Alcantara offers us a magnificent six-point meditative practice that allows us to delve deeper into the mystery of the Lord’s passion, death, and resurrection. Firstly, St. Peter of Alcantara urges us to meditate on “the bitterness of His sorrow, that we may become compassionate with Him”. Secondly, “the greatness of our sins, which were the cause of His torments, that we may abhor them”. Thirdly, “the greatness of the benefit, that we may be grateful for it”. Fourthly, “the excellency of the divine charity and bounty therein manifested, that we may love Him more fervently”. Fifthly, “the convenience of the mystery, that we may be drawn to admiration of it”. Lastly, “the multiplicity of virtues of our blessed Savior which did shine in this stupendous mystery, that we may partly imitate and partly admire them; wherefore, in the midst of these mediations”. St. Peter offers us in these meditations the opportunity to revive the image of the crucifix in us, so that we may become beacons to the world saying, with St. Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”.

During this season of Lent, let us look to Jesus, let us look to His love, let us look to the cross.