HAVE you ever thought if anyone has found the true cross on which Jesus was nailed and died? History says that in the 4th Century, St. Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, went to Jerusalem in search of the holy places of Christ’s life. And legend has it that while her workers were razing the 2nd Century Temple of Aphrodite, which tradition held was built over the tomb of Jesus Christ, to build the Basilica of the Holy Cross, they found three crosses. One of them was identified as the cross on which Jesus Christ died after a dying woman touched it and was healed. It is an ongoing search for wherever the remains of the True Cross are.
For us Christians, what is essential is not just the physical cross of Jesus Christ, but its meaning or message. It speaks of living a radical life—that the only way to a fruitful life on earth and in the life after is our embracement of our crosses.
One of the crosses that our Lord Jesus Christ taught us is the Gospel that we heard last Thursday, the 13th Anniversary of the 9/11 Attacks on the World Trade Center. The Gospel spoke about loving our enemies, doing good to those who hate us, blessing those who curse us, and praying for those who mistreat us.
Now these are hard words to live by. Absolutely, putting this Gospel into practice would be a heavy cross to carry!
Yet, this is why the Gospel of Jesus Christ is so radical–it calls for a life of non-violence. It’s never about striking back, killing people, or having a deep hatred toward those who are not like us. It’s about loving, forgiving, and embracing all people as brothers and sisters despite our differences in religion, culture, and language.
The Gospel is clear: “For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High.” (Luke 6:32-35)
The world is still too far from this message of the Cross of Jesus Christ. That’s why the message of the cross continues to be relevant to our lives today. Not too many people are willing to embrace and live this message, even those who claim themselves to be Christians.
We all can be “good” people, but it’s more than being goody-goody. It’s about willing to practice the radical life of the cross, which is a life of love, not hatred, a life of peace, not division, and a life of service, not self-entitlement.
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Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas attended St. Johns Seminary in Camarillo, Calif. and earned his Doctor of Ministry in Preaching from Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri. For 20 years, he has been in the parish ministry of large multi-cultural communities. From 2002 to 2014, he has been the pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Los Angeles. He will begin teaching at St. John’s Seminary this July. Please email Fr. Rodel at [email protected].
