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PART II
8. THE CROSS AND THE
CONNECTION
WITH THE HOLY TRINITY
8. A. THE CROSS AND
EXPRESSIONS OF THREE
"Faith teaches us that our own interior is also a
sanctuary because it is the living
(
Three seems
to be a very frequent number not only in the spiritual realm, but also in the
civil world: the three musketeers,
the three blind mice…etc. In
Scripture we have the three angels
that visit Abraham, the three
archangels, the three apostles that
accompany Jesus up
No doubt, the three Archangels are very close to the
nature of God, the three in one: Michael, reflecting the Father's power
to bring about goodness, while
defeating evil; Gabriel, the agent
of good news, who reflects the wisdom, that flows from the Son, made eloquent
and visible, in a human way in the Person of Christ; and Raphael, who reflects the healing
power of the Holy Spirit. Let's see how these three angelic intermediaries of
God relate to us:
·
MICHAEL,
expressing the Power of God the
Father's GOODNESS, defeating evil,
which distorts God's Trinitarian presence in us; the goodness, which we treasure in each other, as the true wealth which
comes from God.
Then war broke out in heaven; Michael
and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought
back. (Revelation 12:7)
·
GABRIEL,
expressing the WISDOM of God, the
one who announces and proclaims the Word of God to us:
"In the sixth month, the angel
Gabriel was sent from God to a town of
It
is Gabriel then, who speaks on behalf of the Son of God, who then becomes a
human being, so as to lead and enlighten us (John 8:12) with his example, and
word. As Jesus says, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one
comes to the Father except through me."
(John 14:6)
·
RAPHAEL,
expressing God's spiritual, medical care
of the Holy Spirit, healing anything
distorted in us, like the misunderstanding of true LOVE (CHARITY). The Archangel Raphael appears in the book of Tobit
and accompanies Tobias, Tobit's son, to make sure that his love toward Sarah is not sickly or corrupted. On the night of his
marriage, he prays to God with Sarah, the following prayer:
You said, "It is not good for the
man to be alone; let us make him a helper like himself." Now, not with
lust, but with fidelity I take this kinswoman as my wife. Send down your mercy
on me and on her, and grant that we may grow old together. Bless us with
children.” (Tobias 8: 6b-7)
Raphael is instrumental then,
in purifying us of all selfish inclinations, and instilling in us the purest of
self giving love which we call CHARITY, the very Love that comes from God, and
is God. He fills us with the fire of
charity that makes us one with each
other, capable of speaking the universal language of Love, which everyone can understand. In the process, the Holy Spirit fills us with joy and
peace, which are fruits of the Resurrection.
When the time for Pentecost was
fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from
the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in
which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted
and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy
Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to
proclaim." (Acts 2:1-4)
Jesus, when in the desert,
was tempted by basically three
temptations, which reflects our fallen nature: the need to control, lording it over others, putting ourselves into
God's place while deciding for ourselves what is right or wrong for us. This is
expressed in the very origins of humanity, since our first ancestors committed
the first sin. The inclination to sin will mark humanity. Original sin is present at the bottom of every sin. We distrust God
and trust only ourselves. After all, why would we sin if we knew that it will
rob us of happiness?
"The Lord God gave the man this
order: You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden except the tree
of knowledge of good and evil. From that tree you shall not eat; when you eat
from it you shall die." (Genesis 2:16-17)
…and we know the consequences
of what happened afterward…this is PRIDE…It
is the temptation of Jesus being offered all the kingdoms of the earth if he
adored Satan, which basically means adoring oneself. This is reflective of the
evil inclination….of THE HUNGER FOR
POWER, control, and often leading to the abuse of power in those who are in
leadership roles. (Luke 4:5-8)
Then the devil took Jesus up and showed
him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. The devil said to him,
“I shall give to you all this power and their glory; for it has been handed
over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish. All this will be yours, if
you worship me.” Jesus said to him in reply, “It is written: 'You shall worship
the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.' "(Luke 4:5-8)
Another temptation of Jesus
was to turn the stone into bread.
The tempter approached Jesus and said to
him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of
bread.” He said in reply, “It is written:
"One does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God." (Mathew 4: 3-4)
It's the temptation of
choosing worldly goods over spiritual ones. Once we cling to what is created,
it becomes an idol that enslaves us, be it food, like that presented to Jesus
by Satan, or any kind of addition. The largest idol of all is money. THE HUNGER FOR WEALTH, turning a means in life into a goal in
life (idolatry), becomes a
spiritual sickness called AVARICE,
which is accompanied by a hoarding behavior that is never satisfied, with what
it clings to….a true spiritual poverty. The true wealthy person nourishes
themselves with the Word of God, true wealth that sets one free. This leads to
satisfaction and happiness, even when one possesses even very little in life.
A third temptation consists
of the devil encouraging Jesus to throw himself off the pinnacle of the temple
and even has the audacity to quote the Scripture to him!
Then the devil took him to the holy
city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you
are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: "He will
command his angels concerning you" and "with their hands they will
support you lest you dash your foot against a stone." Jesus answered him,
“Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the
test'." (Mathew 4: 5-7)
Yes, the devil knows the
Scripture better than any of us, and has confused many a Christian to go astray
through misinterpretation of it, a good tactic to divide Christians among
themselves, as history sadly has proven! Jesus here also quotes another passage
from Scripture of not tempting the Lord. This is the temptation of NARCISSISM; the search for being always
at the center, looking for praise and adulation from others and getting angry
with them if expectations are not met…it is the HUNGER FOR FAME.
There are psychologists who
see the prevalence of one of these three weaknesses deep down in the
personality of different people:
Ø
Those who aspire
to position of leadership are more likely to fall into an abuse of power.
Politicians, soldiers, police, teachers, clergy, etc., are examples of those
who can fall into this type of disorder.
Ø
Those who aspire
to be the center of attention are more likely to manipulate the situation so
that they are the preferred center. Actors/actresses, musicians, news anchors,
clergy, etc., could be possible channels for this disorder to emerge.
Ø
Those who love
possessing things are inclined to find ways to manipulate others and the
situation, to hoard as much wealth for themselves, at the expense of others and
the environment. Managers, doctors, lawyers, bankers, etc., could be prone to
this kind of disorder.
These are like the three nails that pierce the hands and
feet of Christ: people’s hands that defile everything they handle…feet that
lead them onto the path of destruction for themselves and others….hands and
feet of Christ pierced by sin.
The Church offers three ways
to tackle these three evil tendencies which we inherit from the sin of our
first ancestors and that which remains at the origin of every sinful action. It
is like the healing blood that flows
out of the wounded hands and feet of Christ on the Cross.
Ø
PRAYER, which is the way to help us place ourselves, as creatures, under the
guidance of our Creator, humbly subordinating our lives to the will of God, who
knows what is best for us. It helps us reach our full potential in life that
leads to happiness and peace. It helps us overcome our pride, arrogance, need
to control...
Ø
PENANCE, expressed in practices of deliberate detachment
efforts from all that enslaves us through fasting, abstinence and other
penitential practices. It will help us be free from these idols, and recognize
God and His Reign, as our only true wealth, with its values of love, justice,
truth, unity. Everything else should be
a means, not an end unto itself, in service of God and of His Reign here on
earth.
Ø
CHARITY is
enhanced, when we reach out to the needs of others, especially those most
vulnerable and most in need. It helps us go beyond our likes and dislikes,
centered in ourselves, and start willingly reaching out to others whether we
feel like it or not.
These three disciplines are
enriched when combined. For instance, we can give up buying something that we
wanted for ourselves, and channel the money to the needs of those who really
need helping, while at the same time praying for those people. This then
becomes like the blood pouring out
of the wounds in the hands and feet of our loving Christ, bringing balm,
healing, life giving joyful dynamism to self and others. It is a response to
the cruel sinful nails of pride,
selfishness and avarice that fasten him to the Cross.
These three spiritual
practices, and intensified during Lent, help us enter into the dynamics of the
Paschal Mystery, to die with Christ to
self, and rise as one with Christ in the Resurrection, helping us grow in:
Ø
FAITH
through prayer,
Ø
HOPE through penance and
Ø
LOVE
though charity.
It will also help us to grow
in
Ø
HUMILITY through prayer,
Ø
GENEROSITY through penance and
Ø
SELFLESS SERVICE though charity.
Obviously God as Trinity of three persons is reflected in his Creation, including our human
nature. Examples:
Ø
Our will, intellect and feelings in our
human nature.
Ø
The nature of a family with three components to it: man-woman-child.
Ø
In the structure
of our solar system of sun, planets and
moons.
8. B. THE
CROSS, THE KEY/S THAT OPEN THE WAY
“Preserve silence like a key of gold that locks up the
great treasure of the other virtues that God has given us.” (
As I gaze on a crucifix, I
realize that, if I grab it from the top of the vertical beam, once again, I am
now holding a key. (click link to view) It is the Key of David, passed down to Christ, who opens the way to
Salvation, with his loving sacrifice on the Cross. When we take on the same
attitude in our life, it is what opens the way to our salvation.
"O Key of David and scepter
of the House of
"O Come, Thou Key of David,
come,
and open wide our heav'nly home,
make safe the way that leads on high,
that we no more have cause to
sigh." (cfr. Traditional Advent hymn) [2]
Now, Christ speaks of "keys" in plural when talking to
Peter:
"And so I say to you, you are
Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the
netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you
bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall
be loosed in heaven.” ( Matthew 16:18-19)
I imagine three metal keys, springing from the main Key,
visualized on the body of Christ, hanging on the Cross. The Key (the
torso of body of Christ) opens out in three
directions (arms and legs). I see represented in the three keys, Faith, Hope and Charity,
which are three means, to open the way, to reach our destiny in heaven. The
three metal nails on the other hand, as previously observed, are like
representing three main obstacles: pride, narcissism and avarice.
Christ leads the way with his
example, when he is in the desert, as we have previously meditated on in
detail.
In a special way, we
contemplate faith, hope and charity,
in its maximum expression on the Cross:
…the total trust of Christ, FAITH in his Father, even when he feels
Him absent:
And about three o'clock Jesus cried out
in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)
He, however, ultimately
releases His Spirit into the Father's hands:
Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
“Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”; and when he had said this he
breathed his last." (Luke 23:46)
…this also expresses HOPE in that all is accomplished, and
that He would be victorious, confident that He would rise again despite that
all seems defeated…
…and it is his LOVE (Charity) without equal, when he
proves His love for us, while we
were still sinners. (cfr. Romans 5:8). As mentioned previously, he even
forgives his persecutors from the Cross,
convinced that they do not know what they are doing.
(cfr. Luke 23:34)
8. C. THE CROSS AND REIGN
OF CHRIST (KING, PROPHET AND PRIEST)
"Nothing else but the extension of
the
the most holy Cross?" (
Carrying on with our
reflection of the "three"
aspects expressed on the Cross, and
poured out on us from the side of Christ through the sacraments, I visualize
other connections. During the sacrament of baptism a prayer is recited as we
are anointed with the oil of Chrism, that we are from then on, joined to the
mission of Christ as the Priest, Prophet
and King.
Just as Jesus was anointed priest,
prophet, and king, so may you live always as a member of his body.[3]
(Rite of Baptism).
As biblists point out, that
once the people of
Some envisioned him as a King, descendent of David:
For a child is born to us, a son is
given to us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor,
God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace. His dominion is vast and forever
peaceful, Upon David's throne, and over his kingdom, which he confirms and
sustains. By judgment and justice, both now and forever. (Isaiah 9:5-6)
Others, envisioned him to be
a Prophet, based on their experience of the outstanding prophets of old:
Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and
thick darkness is over the peoples but the Lord rises upon you and his glory
appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness
of your dawn. (Isaiah 60:1-3)
Another focuses on him as a
High Priest, presented as the suffering servant who offers himself like a lamb
to God for the forgiveness of sins:
"But it was the Lord's will to
crush him with pain. By making his life as a reparation offering...Because he surrendered
himself to death, was counted among the transgressors, bore the sins of many,
and interceded for the transgressors." (Isaiah 53: 10.12)
Philip, the deacon, will
afterward link this passage with the crucifixion, interpreting it to the
Ethiopian, who was puzzled over its meaning in the carriage he was traveling
in.
Then the angel of the Lord spoke to
Philip, “Get up and head south on the road that goes down from
“Like a sheep he was led to the
slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opened not his
mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who will tell of his
posterity? For his life is taken from the earth.”
Then the eunuch said to Philip in reply,
“I beg you, about whom is the prophet saying this? About himself, or about
someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth and, beginning with this scripture
passage, he proclaimed Jesus to him. (Acts 8: 26-35)
In truth, Christ fulfils the
envisioning of these prophets, in regard to all three of these expectations, in
the coming of the Christ, each one highlighting one or the other aspect.
The Catechism of the Catholic
Church states:
"Jesus fulfilled the messianic hope
of Israel in his threefold office of priest, prophet, and king."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, # 436)
The three magi, we could say, highlighted this expectation, with their
gifts: GOLD (Christ the King), INCENSE (Christ the Priest),
MYRRH (Christ the Prophet). Others may see these symbols
differently, but this is my approach.
Ø
As a PRIEST,
Christ is not only offering the sacrifice once and for all on the Cross, but is the very sacrifice
offered.
"He has no need, as did the high
priests, to offer sacrifice day after day, first for his own sins and then for
those of the people; he did that once and for all when he offered
himself."(Hebrews 7:27)
Ø
As PROPHET,
he is not only the one who announces the Word of God which is the role of a
prophet, but is the Word of God in Person.
In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God... And the Word became flesh and made
his dwelling among us (John 1: 1.14a)
He
shows the way with his example, especially with his unconditional Love shown to us on the Cross.
Ø
As KING,
he is the ruler of the Universe.
Pilate also had an inscription written
and put on the Cross. It read, “Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews.” (John 19:19)
This
inscription was written in three languages (Hebrew, Greek and Latin),
representing the languages of the people in that area; but for us, it indicates
the universality of Christ's Reign. Jesus recognizes his kingship before
Pilate:
So Pilate went back into the praetorium
and summoned Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus
answered, “Do you say this on your own or have others told you about me?”
Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests
handed you over to me. What have you done?”
Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom
did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being
handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here. (John 18:
33-36).
The
Jesus,
as King, embodies all these values of his Reign. In fact, because He lived by
them, and urged others to live by them, He was condemned to death by those who
couldn't tolerate them. As someone said, "You can't stand up for truth
without upsetting others who reject it."
He was in the world, and the world came
to be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own,
but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave
power to become children of God..." (John 1: 10-12a)
Jesus
sits on the throne of the Cross with
a crown of thorns, because his Kingdom is not of this world. His Reign is one
of taking on his shoulders the misery of human frailty and sinfulness, as a
heavy cross, while dealing with the "headaches" caused by us, like
the sharp thorns that pierce his head. Yes, his Reign is one of Selfless Love, in service to all of us.
His Selfless Love has real power, to draw all to himself, as he is lifted up on
high on the Cross to lead us.
"And when I am lifted up from the earth,
I will draw everyone to myself.” (John 12:32).
Through baptism we share in:
Ø
Christ's PRIESTLY
dimension and mission.
"But rejoice to the extent that you
share in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may
also rejoice exultantly."
(1 Peter 4:13)
Ø
Christ's PROPHETIC dimension and mission.
You are the
light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden." (Matthew
5:14)
Ø
And Christ's KINGLY dimension and mission.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the
thorns grew up and choked it. But some
seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or
thirtyfold.....the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and
understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or
thirtyfold.” (Mathew 13:7.23)
You made them a kingdom and priests for
our God, and they will reign on earth.” (Revelation 5: 10)
These three dimensions of our
baptism, as we are reminded by the Church in the Vatican Council II, and other
documents, are emphasized in the type of specific vocations, within the
baptismal general vocation we embrace:
Ø
obviously the ministerial PRIESTHOOD emphasizes our baptismal priesthood;
Ø
the kingship is emphasized by the LAITY, as they are immersed in the world among all sorts of people;
Ø
the Prophetic dimension is emphasized by those
consecrated religious through a VOWED LIFE as they announce with their lifestyle,
what we all will be aiming for in the plenitude of life after death, when
Christ will be all in all, a
community united in the Trinity, as mentioned previously. (cfr. John 17:21). It
is where Christ will be: our only love
(CHASTITY),
our only Will (OBEDIENCE), our only Wealth (POVERTY).
Actually, Christ on the Cross expresses the reality of the vows
that consecrated religious
take, as he faithfully
follows the Father's will to the point of death (obedience); he completely empties himself (poverty), stripped of everything on the Cross, even to the point of
letting go of his body, as he entrusts his spirit to the Father. And no one
would doubt that the maximum expression of his sacrificial Love for us (chastity)
was on the Cross. The Passionist Community actually takes a fourth vow: to keep alive the Memory of the Passion of
Jesus. No doubt this vow embraces the other three in their maximum expression on the Cross; it’s the three basic vows through a "colored
lens", so to say.
8. D. THE CROSS AND OUR
SORROWFUL MOTHER
"Let them often call to mind the most bitter
sorrows endured by her during the Passion and death of her dear Son.” (from the Rule of
As I gaze at Jesus on the Cross, I now see the three directions of his body converging
at a meeting point at the center of torso: His
heart, from which the embodiment of His new and eternal commandment is
expressed: "Love one another as I
have loved you". (cfr. John 13:34) This is the core of everything.
From Christ the New Adam, the reformed humanity in Christ, which is the New
Eve… the Church, flows from the open heart of Jesus. It is His LOVE in the form of blood, which represents His Spirit,
full of the life-giving Love. It
gives power to the water, which is
mingled with it, to purify and vivify us, into the rebirth of new life… to be
born again in the Spirit. This is well expressed by Jesus when he speaks to
Nicodemus:
“Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can
enter the
As
there are the three witnesses: "the
Spirit, the water, the blood.." (quote: 1 John 5:8)
As previously mentioned, from
the open side of Christ, the New Adam, a New Eve is formed in this New
Creation, the Church. And Mary, as mentioned, the ideal WOMAN, which in the original Greek, also means the Mother/ Formator/ Queen, through whom
we are all united as one with her, forms us to be like her, to become a true
disciple of Christ. (cfr. John 19:26-27) This same term "Mother" was also used for Eve with
all the connotations mentioned.
It is in the Sacrificial Love of her Son that she
will guide us especially, so that we may participate in our own redemption, as
we offer our life with her, as Church, with, and through her Son, united in the
Spirit, to God the Father. We do this with joy, because we find meaning to our
own suffering. As
"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for
your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions
of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church". (Colossians 1:24)
Further on, we will see in
detail, how we participate deeply in this mystery of Salvation, each time we
celebrate the Eucharist.
