Hebrews 4:14-5:6; Mark
8:34-9:1
Today we do something that goes
against the strongest inclinations of fallen humanity: We adore and celebrate the Cross. Absolutely no one rejoiced about crosses in
the first century, for crucifixion was the most horrible form of execution the
Romans could devise. When the Lord told
Peter plainly that He would be killed, the head disciple was horrified and
tried to correct Him. That is when
Christ said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan, for you are not mindful of the
things of God, but the things of men.”
In order words, Peter was thinking like any other human being enslaved
to the fear of death.
That,
of course, is precisely why Jesus Christ offered Himself on the Cross: to set us free from captivity to the
grave. He did not breathe life into us
so that we would disappear into the earth, but so that we would be united
eternally with Him in holiness. If we believe our fate is simply for the decay
of the tomb, we will go to great lengths to distract ourselves from the
pointlessness of our existence. So we
end up worshiping power, pleasure, possessions, and anything else that staves
off the dread of death. We will make
this world a false god in one way or another in a failed effort to save
ourselves on our own terms.
Today
we adore the Cross because through it our Lord has conquered death, making even
the tomb and Hades pathways to the eternal life of the Kingdom through His
glorious resurrection. It is because of
His great Self-offering as our High Priest that we may depart this life with
the hope of resurrection and life eternal.
But in order to share in the glory of the empty tomb, we must first
follow Him to the Cross by taking up our own crosses. That means dying to the corrupting power of
sin in our lives as we crucify the addiction to self-centered desire that
arises from the fear of death. For if we
seek to save our lives by the standards of our fallen world, we will end up
losing our souls.
Fortunately, there is still time
to live as those who are not ashamed of the Cross. We have the remaining weeks of Lent to
prepare to enter into the deep mystery of the Lord Who caused death to die. And we do not have to look hard for opportunities
to do so. They are all around us. For
example, we should turn our attention away from our favorite distractions (e.g.
cell phones, video games, social media, news, sports, and movies) and toward the
Lord in daily focused prayer, Bible reading, and studying the lives and teachings
of the Saints. We should sacrifice a
small part of our usual routine by attending Lenten services each week. If our
physical health and life circumstances allow, we should fast as best we can
according to the guidelines of the Church. If we cannot fast from food due to
illness, we should learn to accept our struggles with patience, perhaps finding
another area of life where we can practice self-denial. We should give generously of our resources,
time, and attention to others, especially the poor, sick, and lonely. We should serve our family members, friends,
and fellow parishioners instead of simply ourselves. We should pray for our
enemies and do what we can to heal broken relationships. We should stay on guard against anything that
inflames our passions. We should shut
out our dark and tempting thoughts with the Jesus Prayer. We should confess our sins honestly this
Lent, and be vigilant against sliding back into unholy habits.
It is through such everyday acts
of faithfulness that we will take up our crosses and follow the Savior Who
offered Himself on the Cross for our salvation.
That is how we will be set free from the fear of death and all its
corrupting effects on our souls. That is
how we will adore and celebrate the Cross as the great sign of our hope, as the
only true answer to the tragic brokenness of our humanity. The God-Man offered Himself on it in order to
save us. Now we must offer ourselves to
Him in humble repentance by dying to sin in order to open ourselves to the
glory of His resurrection. That is the
Lord’s calling to each and every one of us for, through the Cross, He has
filled all things with joy.
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