Read: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

“[T]he 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 am surrounded by crosses. There’s a pyrographic cross I burned a few years ago that hangs above my retirement clock (so-called because it tells me what day of the week it is). I have several Cursillo crosses beside me, as well as some I crafted using wood from cottonwood branches that fell at a church I served in Montana – that broke when the wind blew – they remind me of our fallen nature. “Take up your cross,” says Jesus. Beside the office door is yet another cross I inherited from my parents’ estate when they passed away a few years ago. It hung in their living room for decades.

Crosses are iconic images for us who are alive in Christ. They are so commonplace we seldom give them any thought, but most of us can share stories behind every cross we own. For many people around us, friends, neighbors, celebrities, and athletes, the cross is simply jewelry; for Christians, though, it is a sign – perhaps the supreme sign – of our faith.

If Jesus had been gunned down, perhaps the symbol of our faith would be little gold AK-47s or AR-15s or a silver Saturday night special. Wouldn’t that be shocking? Wouldn’t that be horrible? Perhaps, if we understand that every man, woman, and child who is killed by firearms is as much a victim today as Jesus was in his day, we might carry these symbols as reminders that we kill Jesus and continue to kill him in so many ways with our own thoughts, words, and deeds.

The world sees violence as inevitable, and the use of violence as justifiable. We, as Christians, know better, or at least we ought to know better. It’s not enough to just hang our crosses, wear them, or carry them. The cross is scandalous and foolish. We wear them and display them as a reminder that there IS another way. We don’t carry on as victims; like Jesus, we carry on with a purpose: to bring life to all who hurt, and light to those who dwell in darkness.

Dear God, help me to be hope for others. Help me to help others discover that even when things are toughest, darkest, and scariest, You are there for them because I am there for them. Help me carry your cross, which I laughingly call “my” cross, in a way that brings life to others. Amen.
– Fr. Keith Axberg