“And there went out to him all the country of Judea, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were baptised by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.” (Mark 1:1-8).
I have been reflecting on a brief reflection that I read the other day about the Crosses on Calvary…
It is called “Three Crosses on a Hill”. It is said, in the reflection, that one of the thieves crucified alongside Christ labelled the crosses when he said, “…for we receive the due reward of our deeds, but this Man hath done nothing amiss… Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” (Luke 23:41-42).
The first Cross is the Cross of the Sequence of Sin. This cross is raised at the end of a sinful life. This cross leads to regret and “gnashing of teeth”.
The second Cross is the Cross of Sacrifice of Sin. This Cross is raised at the intersection of humanity’s downward spiral and God’s love. This Cross represents the Sacrifice of God the Son for the redemption of humanity – even despite the perfection of Christ Crucified, who merited nothing of what He endured…
The third Cross is the Cross of Salvation from Sin. This Cross is raised where the soul has a transformation, a “renewing of the mind” and through repentance, choses to belong no longer to this world and the sinful ways of this world. This is the Cross of Confession.
And as I have been reflecting on these three Crosses today, it occurs to me that I should be reflecting also on the fact that in this life there will be a Cross for everyone. There is no living soul that ever escaped a Cross. Some crosses may seem heavier than others – but all of them were burdensome and all of them are most unbearable to the person who is carrying that Cross. The difference in the way that the Cross is endured in this lifetime by one human soul or another, is in which of the Three Crosses that soul is carrying. You see, a soul can chose to participate in any one of these three Crosses.
The souls who struggle most with their Crosses are those who carry the first of them because those souls – like the unrepentant thief – chose not to accept any responsibility in their fate. They deny their sinfulness and act – liken spoiled children – making demands on the father without accepting any responsibility for their sins…
The souls that struggle less are those who accept the Third Cross. These souls see the Cross as an opportunity to make amends for their sins. They use the suffering associated with the Cross as an offering to God for their own redemption and the redemption of others…
And then there are the souls who accept the Second Cross – the intersecting Cross. These souls lift themselves up to the Cross of Christ through sacrifice and suffering so that they can share in Christ’s mission to save humanity. These are the souls of the Saints.
And this is the Cross that I pray for the Grace to accept…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.