The Paradox of the Cross

An object used for torture and death is now the source of love and life. The Lord wept over the incurable wound which sin had inflicted on his people.  He assumed our wounded humanity and healed it through the wounds he suffered on the cross. ~ Magnificat

“The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18) I hadn’t really thought about those who don’t believe or who turn their back on God as perishing. I always saw that as something that will happen in the end but during my reflection these words also reminded me of some other truths that reinforce this scripture passage. In our faith, if we are not moving forward than we are going backward. There is no such thing as stagnant faith. With faith, you don’t get to a place and you’ve “made it” and get comfortable there. God is so amazing and beyond us that there is always more to learn; always room to grow, always a part of ourselves that needs to be refined.

The other truth is, “all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing” (Edmund Burke). We can’t just sit back because we are good. There is a battle in this world of good and evil. We need to be willing to stand up and fight for what we know is right. There are many examples of this played out in scripture. One example is the parable of the Good Samaritan. The robbers stripped and beat a man, and left him half-dead. Their act was evil, but the priest and Levite allowed the evil to continue by doing nothing. In the days of Elijah, the silence of many had allowed the evil of Ahab and Jezebel to prevail throughout the land of Israel. In the fight against evil there is no middle ground. Jesus tells us, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” (Matthew 12:30) Those who are not vigorously fighting against evil are helping evil to triumph.

So we look to the cross as our example of how we are called to live. The obedience of Jesus, symbolized by the cross, is a model for the obedience to God to which we are called. As Jesus said to all, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)