the Wondrous Cross...

When you see the cross what do you think of? For most of us it’s probably become little more than a symbol on a piece of jewelry or something that takes its’ place on a church steeple. When you really stop and think about it, though, what or who do you think about? Do you think of Jesus or do you think of yourself first?

For many, the cross serves as a reminder that Jesus died for them personally. This is real and it is good for us to remember this. But I find it ironic that in this selfless act Jesus that we are reminded of we usually think of ourselves first; Jesus dies for ME. I have to ask myself, “am I the point of this whole thin?”

Jesus said “whatever you do to the least of these you are really doing it to me.” What if the point of the cross is ‘the least of these?’ What if the point of the whole gospel is the least of these becoming most… the first becoming last…? Sometimes we may be the point because sometimes we are the least Jesus is talking about; the oppressed, the distressed.

If the point of the Gospel is ‘the least of these’ then maybe when we look at the cross we should be reminded that the first shall be last. Maybe the first thing that should come to mind, instead of ourselves, is the lives of the marginalized and browbeaten. With this perspective we cannot help but remember that “pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles.” (James 1:27)