Homily for March 20, 2005
Liturgical Year A-Cycle I
Palm Sunday
by Fr. John Carney
Topic: The Crucifix
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Some of you may be aware of the fact that a few years ago, at Christmas, the beautiful manger set, the nativity set outside the church that the Knights of Columbus set it up each year, someone had kidnapped the baby Jesus.  A couple days after Christmas, it was gone.  We hoped someone would bring it back but when they didn’t we purchased a new one.  It was very expensive – I think it cost about $1000.  It’s an Italian set that’s of the very best quality.  Eventually someone did return it and it was chipped and broken.  But it reminded me recently of a kidnapping of the infant Jesus from another nativity scene. 

Fr. Jack Spaulding, in Phoenix, tells the story about a parish that had the same thing happen on Christmas Eve.  Of course, they were very upset and the kids were all disappointed as they came to church and there was no infant in the crib, or in the manger.  A few days after Christmas, one of the mothers of the parish was rearranging her 5-year-old son’s room, and she opened the dresser drawer and Voila!  The statue.  So, being a mother, when mothers find something amiss like that, their hands immediately go to their hips.  “Young man, what is this all about?”  He put his head down and his eyes filled with tears. He said, “Well, I remember what happens later, after Christmas, when they beat Him up and killed Him.  I didn’t want that to happen to Him this year.”  It’s a cute story.

That little boy obviously had been in a church with a big old crucifix, like this church.  And children look at that.  He connected the dots between the incarnation and the passion of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  The crucifix, indeed, can be difficult to look at.  Look at it.  It’s not beautiful.  As a matter of fact, this particular crucifix has been somewhat controversial in the past.  Apparently when it was being put up, there was a big conflict here in the parish.  I’m glad I wasn’t here then.  It’s good to come to a parish after all the conflicts are ended and everyone agrees.  As a matter of fact, a few priests have actually criticized this corpus.  They said to Mary, our sacristan, that it’s ugly.  She always looks up at them and says, “Well, Father, the crucifixion was ugly.” 

Crucifixion is an ugly death.  The victim was stripped, humiliated, beaten, scourged, spat upon, and finally, death came when He could no longer breathe.  It takes a certain power to expand your diaphragm to bring in air, and hanging from there, the power is lost, and the victim dies.  I think, though, in the crucifixion of Jesus, the most difficult part of the suffering was that His mother was watching it.  Think about that.  That’s why we call her Our Lady of Sorrows.  But I think it was even more difficult for Jesus, watching His mother watch Him. Do you know what I mean? 

It is because of the strong feelings that this, a crucifix, any crucifix really, brings about in us, some Christians don’t like the crucifix.  They won’t even display it.  Even in some Catholic churches, you’d be hard pressed to find a crucifix.  In some cases, they have what is considered the Risen Jesus. He looks as if He’s saying, “Touchdown!”  There’s a church in Phoenix, a new church, a beautiful church, except they don’t have a crucifix.  They have this very expensive piece of artwork.  I think its Jesus ascending into heaven.  It’s a huge piece, made of bronze, His robes are flowing.  I don’t like it.  I like the crucifix because that’s the part we’re engaged in right now.  It takes us to the glory, or the passion part of our salvation story. 

Apparently, this was an issue in the early church because St. Paul preached Christ, and Christ crucified.  He made a point of it.  I’ll read to you from Paul’s scripture that says that in a moment. I suspect, based on these readings that maybe some in the early church wanted to forget all about this passion stuff, and just think about the resurrection stuff all the time. Paul corrects them.  He says, “As for myself, brothers, when I came to you, I did not come proclaiming God’s testimony with any particular eloquence or wisdom.  No, I determined that while I was with you I would speak of nothing but Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” (1Cor 2:1-5)  Elsewhere, in First Corinthians, Paul writes, “Christ sent me to preach the gospel, not with worldly wisdom, however, lest the cost of Christ be rendered void of its meaning.  The message of the cross is complete absurdity to those who are headed for ruin, but to us who are experiencing salvation it is the power of God. ” (1Cor1:17-18) “Jews demand signs, and Greeks, wisdom.  But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews, and an absurdity to gentiles.  But to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, the crucified Christ is the power of God, and the wisdom of God.  For God’s folly is wiser than men and His weakness more powerful than men. ” (1Cor1:22-25)

The cross has a simple message: “I love you.  There is no greater love than this, to lay down your life for your friend.”  But we need to do more than look at that cross.  We need to look through it to see its full meaning, more than the outward pain to see the inner love.  Indeed, we need to do more than look through it, we need to embrace it.  Our Holy Father has a very unique cross, and the corpus is elongated.  It looks like an El Greco piece.   I’d like to actually do a study of this: pictures of our Holy Father throughout his pontificate.  You’ll see he’s getting closer and closer to that crucifix.  He holds it lovingly against his cheek.  He embraces it.  It is so close to him now in his suffering that you don’t know where he ends and the cross begins.  And that’s the way it’s supposed to be.  We’re supposed to be melded into the cross.  He says, “If you love me, pick up your cross everyday, and follow me.”  Some people say our Holy Father should resign.  We live in this efficient age.  He’s no longer efficient.  I beg to differ.  Much of his very life is a symbol.  He is a symbol – he is Christ’s vicar – His symbol on earth.  Right now, he’s a crucified symbol for us to look at.  The Holy Father has thanked God for his misery.  He has thanked God for his Parkinson’s.  He has thanked God for the assassin’s bullet that still hurts him on a daily basis.  Those are crosses and he thanks God for sharing His cross with Him. 

That cross is an invitation to us. That’s why we are here.  Week after week, we come here and do the same things.  Someone says, “Man, it’s the same thing, week after week.”  And it is.  Week after week, we come here.  And you know that when we bring up the monetary offering, that’s symbolic also.  What we bring up to this altar is all your stuff – your joys, your worries, your anxieties, your fears, your doubts, and your despair.  All the stuff of your life, you bring with you to Sunday mass, and we put it on that altar.  And we join it with the bread and wine, and we lift that up, with Christ, so that it becomes one sacrifice to the Father. He blesses it and makes it holy.  That’s why we’re here, doing that same thing, week after week.  He makes this mess beautiful in the eyes of God the Father.

When we begin to understand this part of Christianity, the cross, then Christianity begins to make sense.  Then our suffering has real value.  Then our dying means eternal life. 

If you’d bow your heads now and pray with me,

Lord, teach us to love as you love

Teach us to love and not to keep score

Teach us to love and not to heed the pain

Teach us to love and not to ask for any special reward, except to know that we are doing Your will.

 And we ask this today, through Christ, our Lord.  Amen.