not ashamed of the cross of Christ - 28th week tuesday

St. Paul said, I am not ashamed of the gospel?  What does he mean he is not ashamed of the gospel?  What is this gospel or this good news that he is not and should never be ashamed about?

The gospel Paul is referring to is Christ crucified.  Christ dead on the cross is a scandal for the Jews and a foolishness to the Gentiles.  Blessings and graces for the Jews and the Gentiles are always associated with wealth, health, success, triumphs, attainment.  But how can the cross be a triumph?  How can death on a cross be a blessing?  How can suffering be the source and channel of graces?  How can a Christian draw strength from the cross?  During the time of Paul and I believe even during our time the cross as good news, the cross as gospel is unbelievable.  It is fantastic.

And yet the cross for Paul is the power of God. 

The world emphasizes as an absolute the love for self but the cross reminds us to die to self.  The world teaches us convenience, the cross teaches us sacrifice.  The world teaches us revenge but the cross teaches us forgiveness and mercy.   The world teaches us to think only of ourselves but the cross teaches us to think of others and even to die that others may live.

Every day we have the opportunity like Paul to boast of the power of the cross in us.  In our homes, in our places of work, and even in our choices – there are opportunities there where we can live out the primacy of the value of the cross and everything it stands for.

When we experience pain the cross teaches us that pain has meaning, that pain has purpose, that pain when embraced can be a powerful prayer.  When we lose control over things in our lives and in the lives of those we love we are reminded by the cross to learn to surrender and to trust.

The cross of Jesus is not just a decoration that we put in our churches or on the altar of our homes and offices.  The cross of Jesus is the highest value in our life, it is the principle that influences our choices, the reason why we call ourselves Christian.

What will happen to marriage if couples lose sight of the cross?  What evil will business and capitalism unleash kon wala na kita nagatulok sa cross?  What kind of a church will we have when its ministers, its priests do not value the cross anymore?  What kind of politics will this city and country have when its leaders do not look up to the cross as their model and principle of service?

We boast on the cross of Jesus for when we lose sight of the cross then we lose the essence of our Christianity.  What defines us a believers of Jesus is our willingness to follow the value set to us by Jesus on his cross.