An interesting question raised in our Christology class goes like this: "what if Jesus died another way, like lethal injection or decapitation or electrocution? Would we honor the electric chair or sword or the syringe used to kill him?" An amusing and thought provoking question indeed!
I guess the main question is: Is it the cross or the man hanging on it that is the object of our worship? Certainly, the man Jesus, or rather, the God-man, Jesus Christ, who hangs on the cross is the object of our worship. It is he who gives the wood of the cross its significance as the instrument of salvation. It's certainly weird to imagine venerating a syringe or a sword, but these are all hypothetical thoughts precisely because it is not what actually happened in history.
The triumph of the cross, in the end, is the triumph of love... a love that was not afraid of death. It is this love that we remember on this feast and on every Good Friday when we venerate the cross and say, "We adore you O Christ, and we bless you, becuase by your holy Cross, you have redeemed the world!"
No comments:
Post a Comment