The Wooden Cross

The Cross that Jesus carried to Calvary and died on, has become the symbol of Christianity, and today it is also the symbol of triumph, victory over death. The two piece wooden frame which had been looked down upon with so much of contempt has suddenly become so very different, thanks to Jesus. What did Jesus do to the wooden frame to transform it altogether? Has anything changed in the wooden frame that made it appear very different from what it was before it was placed on the broken shoulders of Jesus? Another associated question that we could ask is: has something happened to the wood or to Jesus, or to us who look at with different eyes and perspectives today?

I would believe that the wooden frame remained exactly the same, as it had been for all centuries, and Jesus would not have desired to give a new dimension to the commonplace wood either. Looking at Jesus as a human person, going forward to embrace the rough and hard cross makes him truly the Savior and Lord. As the son of a carpenter, Jesus would have known for sure all about the wooden frame, of what tree it is, the height and the weight. As he stretches out his hand to draw it close to his shoulders, he recognizes an unknown familiarity with the wood, a familiarity which had taken him to the Garden of Eden peopled with trees of all sorts, and the special tree of knowledge which stood in the middle.

What is this familiarity between Jesus and the wooden cross? We all know that it is through the cross that Jesus would save the world. Every Jew and Roman would dread the very word, the Cross! How did the cross become so easy for Jesus to accept, especially knowing well that he would be subjected to the death of a hardcore criminal? Was there some magic hidden behind the wood which the Jewish religious leaders failed to take cognizant of? There is no hesitation on the part of Jesus, he seem to be longing to embrace it. The cross is sanctified by the touch of the master craftsman, who in his lifetime might have made several crosses, but this time however not made with a chisel, but with his body and blood.

The wooden frame which had taken years to harden and toughen, seeing several winters and summers is now ready to give space to the God of creation to lay down his head. The tree would have never thought it would receive such a honor. As the creation of the creator, it is only too happy to allow the Lord to sanctify its fibers. The seasoned wood is prepared to present to the Lord its best qualities, even as the hard hearted soldiers pierce the hands and feet of the Master with the wood. The juice of the wood which had preserved a part of it all these years, today mingle with the blood of the Savior, to ease his pain as he goes through untold pain and agony.

If only I were a lifeless wooden frame, it would have been my great honor and privilege to behold the Lord and receive his touch, which alone is enough to transform my life. The lady suffering from hemorrhage received instant healing when she dared to touch the fringe of his garment, and how much more would it be a wonderful experience for me, when the Lord would rest on my frail frame! This is the only thing that any tree can long for! The lifeless tree would then be honored to behold the Savior rather than the more privileged people who stood at the foot of the Cross!

Gathering Guts (SS 06)

Among the numerous men and women who had gathered on the way to Calvary to watch the parade of one of the worst criminals of the time, one young lady stood apart from all of them, and no one knows from where she had the guts to approach the criminal and show an act of mercy and charity to him! We do not know for sure what made her to do this remarkably daring act of mercy to the man who had been condemned by the very people who had been cured of their illnesses by this wandering Messiah, and fed by his munificence, and yet they had not known him enough to raise their voices in support of him, and yet here is a young lady, who could defy all codes of Jewish mannerism, of decency and decorum, to walk forward and wipe his face.

Would I have done that very act which this young lady had done, were I in her position? I am not very sure if I have the guts that she had! How hard it is to challenge the mighty and powerful? To challenge the powerful is to risk one’s life, career, family and friends, and yet if there are no persons to raise their voices against injustice and plead for compassion and justice, then the world would soon become a desert land, and there would be only ferocious new species called human beings may breed and populate the earth! Veronica unfortunately has no mention in the Gospels, and I don’t think she would mind that either, for like the hundreds of men and women, she too would remain an ‘Unknown’ saint!

With the arrival of this young woman, the journey to Calvary takes a new turn; Jesus had thought that everyone of his disciples had disappeared, and there is hardly anyone who would walk with him, but soon he would realize that that was not the whole truth: soon he would realize that his blessed mother was there walking with him, swallowing the pain and agony of encountering her son in great pain; then came the strange Simon of Cyrene, who had established a new law of compassion, and here is Veronica with yet another message : she had gathered her guts to stand by the innocent criminal, knowing well that she had to force her way through the soldiers and she would do it all by herself, come what may! Her determination had brought her face to face with the Savior.

I know from life’s experiences that to have guts is a dangerous thing, and especially if one has guts to oppose the injustice and evil in the society, one can look for other ways of earning a living, make sure to protect one’s parents, spouse and children, and start wearing the bullet-proof jacket to protect oneself from any assault. This is everyday reality for the people who have too much guts; for them justice cannot be compromised, and here is a man who had redefined what justice is! Veronica might have been prepared to face any kind of eventuality, as she gathered her guts to walk that extra distance to be with Christ and assure him of her support.

If we look around, we can see the number of people who are pushed to the edges because they had the guts to question the mighty and powerful and vouched to stand by the voiceless and powerless! I had seen and heard about religious men and women who were sent to remote corners because they raised their voice against the high-handedness of the mighty people. The same kind of treatment is rampant among political parties and leaders. There were some of my companions who were penalized and punished for questioning the dictatorial authorities, and the man had to bear the consequences of gathering guts in favor of the simple and ordinary. Veronica however still continues to fight against injustice.

As a matter of fact, it is not that difficult to gather one’s guts to question the mighty and the autocratic leaders, but it is hard to foresee the consequences, and uni-vocally accept whatever the consequences there may be. We do not know what had happened to Veronica, but if something bad were to happen to her, probably we would have heard in the Gospels about her. It is possible that what she had done was not a great act of charity, but it was essential for the Lord to continue his journey. But for Veronica, he might not have been able to complete the rest of his arduous journey. How many people do I help each day to continue with their journeys? And how many people have frightened me to cut off from my life?

You may not remember by I guess this young lady had been treasuring this little handkerchief for so many months to offer it as a loving gift to you, and least would she have ever thought that she would offer it to you at this hour! But how lovely this young lady had been, to spread your face with a touch of gentleness and godliness! You look at her lovingly and she knows that her heart is too full with your love, and her life cannot be the same from this hour onward. I may never have that much guts to go through the high-handedness of men and their muscles to reach out to a person in need of my kindness and mercy! But today I thank that sweet lady Veronica who is teaching me the need for me to gather guts to stand by you and your people.