Feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross
Just
a couple of weeks ago my parents moved to a different house for the first time
since 1988. They didn’t move too
far, only from Williamston, on the east side of Lansing, to DeWitt, on the west
side of Lansing, but moving, no matter how far, is always an ordeal. In early August we celebrated the
August and September birthdays as the last time we were going to be at the old
house as a family. Some of the
stuff was moved already, pictures were taken down, and there were lots of
boxes. Little things became more
pronounced, knowing that I would probably never see this house again.
The
anchor is an ancient Christian symbol.
When the Christians were being persecuted, they didn’t want to give away
who they were. The anchor was a
perfect way to show they were Christians, without giving it away to those who
didn’t know. The anchor has the
cross in it, so they were professing that they were followers of Jesus, the
crucified and risen one, but with a common symbol in use at the time.
The
anchor was also a symbol of hope.
This may have been based on the Letter to the Hebrews that states, “This
[hope] we have as an anchor of the soul, sure and firm.” The anchor was also the hope for those
who were sailing that they would remain where they were, where they knew they
were safe, and not be tossed into shallow waters where they might run aground,
or into deeper, uncharted waters, without any idea of where they were.
It
is fitting then, that the anchor is attached to the cross, because the cross is
where we find our hope, and if we are attached firmly to the cross, then we do
not need to worry about running aground and sinking, or getting lost on the
wide-open seas. Our goal, as
Christians, is to be firmly holding on to the cross. Now, that might seem odd to say. Why would we say that the instrument of Jesus’ horrible
death be our hope? For the same
reason that we call the Friday of the Lord’s Passion Good Friday: the cross, and Jesus attached to it, became the way
that God made salvation available to us.
The curse (or malediction) of being nailed to the cross (as Deuteronomy
21 states), the curse that belonged by right to us, became the blessing (or
benediction) of eternal life won for us by God-made-Man. In the first reading, seraph serpents
were the curse for the Israelites grumbling, but the bronze serpent lifted high
for all to see became the way that the Israelites were healed. Jesus alluded to that in the Gospel
today, saying that the Son of Man was to become the new bronze serpent, lifted
high for all to see. Though
killing God, deicide, which we continue to bring about by our sins, deserves
the worst punishment of all, Jesus took our sins upon Himself, and, lifted for
all to see, is the means of our reward.
We should have been damned to Hell for killing God, and yet we were
offered eternal life in heaven instead.
For
us to gain that reward, we have to be anchored to Jesus. Today we will baptize two infants. We might wonder why we should make such
a powerful choice for two persons who cannot speak for themselves. Shouldn’t we wait to adulthood? Shouldn’t they choose for themselves? Many of our Protestant brothers and
sisters do wait until the child is old enough to speak for itself. We all know, too well, I would guess,
the waves that want to throw us around on the sea of life. We are tempted to greed and worship of
money; to think that we are the center of the universe in pride; to tear down
others with our words or actions; to misuse our gift of sexuality outside of
marriage; and so many other temptations.
If we do not have an anchor, we will sink, or be thrown out into deep,
uncharted waters. If these
children are not anchored to the cross, it will be so much more likely that
they will be lost. But, as an act
of love, their parents are connecting them to Jesus by this Sacrament, and by
the solemn promise they make to God and in our presence, that they will help
their children to continue to cling to Christ by bringing them to Mass every
week, by living a Christ-centered life, and by works of charity. They are promising to strengthen the
rope, with God’s grace, which is the connection between the cross and the
anchor. If the children and their
parents stay close to Jesus, then the children will be ready for the Sacraments
of Confirmation and the Eucharist, to which Baptism is also oriented.
We
who have been fully initiated, who are striving to live that Christ-centered
life, are also reminded of how we need to be anchored to the cross. Maybe we have not fulfilled the
promises at our baptism. Maybe
we’re not coming to Mass each week. Maybe we’re greedy or prideful. Maybe we tear down others with our words and actions. Maybe we misuse our sexuality outside
of marriage. Maybe we don’t live
our faith outside of the walls of this church. The Sacrament of Penance, which we offer each week, is where
Jesus Himself re-anchors us to the cross, so that we can be safe in His
love. Maybe, because we have
grown up with Catholicism, we have forgotten the treasures that we have. I invite you to re-anchor yourself to
the cross, and find not condemnation and death, but blessing and life!
