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| Christ Crucified |
Even
in Time of Persecution
Let the Cross
be Your Joy
From the Catecheses by Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, bishop
The Catholic Church glories n every deed of Christ. Her supreme glory, however, is the
cross. Well aware of this, Paul says: God forbid that I glory in anything but the
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!
At Siloam, there was a sense of wonder, and rightly so. A man born blind recovered his sight. But of what importance is this, when there
are so many blind people in the world? Lazarus
rose from the dead, but even this only affected Lazarus. What of those countless numbers who have died
because of their sins? Those five
miraculous loaves fed five thousand people.
Yet this is a small number compared to those all over the world who were
starved by ignorance. After eighteen
years a woman was freed from the bondage of Satan. But are we not all shackled by the chains of
our own sins?
For us all, however, the cross is the crown of victory! It has brought light to those blinded by
ignorance. It has released those
enslaved by sin. Indeed, it has redeemed
the whole of mankind!
Do not, then, be ashamed of the cross of Christ; rather,
glory in it. Although it is a stumbling
block to the Jews and folly to the Gentiles, the message of the cross is our
salvation. Of course it is folly to
those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of
God. For it was not a mere man who died
for us, but he Son of God, God made man.
In the Mosaic law a sacrificial lamb banished the
destroyer. But now it is the Lamb of God who takes
away the sin of the world. Will he
not free us from our sins even more? The
blood of an animal, a sheep, brought salvation.
Will not the blood of the only-begotten Son bring us greater salvation?
He was not killed by violence,
he was not forced to give up
his life.
His was a willing
sacrifice.
Listen to his worn words: I have the power to lay down my life and to
take it up again. Yes, he willingly submitted to his own passion. He took joy in his achievement; in his crown
of victory he was glad and in the salvation of man he rejoiced.
He did not blush at the cross
for by it he was to save the world.
No, it was not a
lowly man
who suffered but God incarnate.
He entered the contest for the reward he would win by his patient endurance.
Certainly in times of tranquillity the cross should give you
joy. But maintain the same faith in
times of persecution. Otherwise you will
be a friend of Jesus in times of peace and his enemy during war. Now you received the forgiveness of your sins
and the generous gift of grace from our king.
When war comes, fight courageously for him.
Jesus never sinned; yet he was crucified for you. Will you refuse to be crucified for him, who
for your sake was nailed to the cross?
You are not the one who gives the favor; you have received one
first.
For your sake
he was crucified on
Golgotha.
Now you are returning his
favor;
you are fulfilling your debt to him.
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| Be a Knight for Christ |
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