The Cross

The Cross

1 Corinthians, 1: 23. Paul says, "...but we preach Christ crucified..."  Why does Paul preach Christ crucified?  verse 24, Christ crucified is the "power of God".  It is the crucified Christ that the bonds of sin and death and broken.  1 Cor. 2:2, "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified."

Paul preaches Christ crucified because an empty cross has no power. The cross with the corpus shows the bruised, bone exposed, battered, and bloodied body of Jesus Christ, however, that cross is the "power of God". Catholics "keep Jesus on the cross," because each of us are told to preach Christ crucified. The Crucifix reminds us not only of God's power, but also His love for us - giving His only begotten Son up for suffering and death.   The devil understands the power of the Cross and tries to keep it as jewelry and other no power ornaments.

The resurrected life comes through the cross, death to self and life in Jesus Christ.  Suffering is the power of the cross in our life.  Count it all joy and praise God in all things.

Luke 9:23:   We must die with Christ in order to live with Him” as Romans 6:8 tells us. Where did Christ die? On the cross. The Crucifix serves to remind us of these things.   Even in Galatians, Paul exhorts them to know that Christ was publically crucified.  Where?  On the cross.  Keep a crucified cross in your home and when temptation comes use it to remind you that you died with Him and you can overcome the world and the devil with it.  I use it when temptation comes of any type – Jesus and Mary I commend my soul to you.  That is exactly what Jesus did on the cross!  It works!  Stay close to the cross and He will bring you to life on the other side.  Mary is there with you, watching you and praying.  She is the Victorious Queen of the World.  The Cross is the banner of the Kingdom of God.  She is your Queen and Jesus is your King.  Be a warrior, first class, by following the cross where God takes you in battle.  Ron Lee, JMJ

A meditation:  Our Lord calls out to His Father, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  The Light from the Father diminishes within Him and Heaven seems to no longer hear Him.  He sees before Him the souls of all those who would abandon Him and the extinguished lights of all those who would be lost forever – being deprived of the ones He could not save – His greatest torment.  How many would be lost?  Did He feel that He suffered in vain?  He sees His Churches and chapels empty – no one is there to console His great sorrow.  He sees those who abandon His Church – His Mystical Body – abandoned by so many.  Even His apostles have abandoned Him.   He is alone with only His Mother to comfort Him.  In sorrow, He cries out, “I thirst!” – thirsting for the souls that He is in agony for, thirsting for the souls He knows He is to die for.  He is truly the “spurned one”.  He continues today to pour out His Mercy for those who are lost, that they might repent and be saved.  He feels as much abandoned today as He did when He hung upon the Cross.  He cries out to the Father for us….  Lynne, JMJ