Christ and Cross!

Friday, September 27, 2024

Eccl 3:1-11; Lk 9:18-22

Today’s Gospel highlights Jesus’ identity as inseparably connected to the cross. 

The very fact that Luke presents Jesus praying before asking his disciples the identity questions prepares us for something important to unfold.

Then we find Jesus asking his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ and ‘Who do you say that I am?’

Once Jesus listens to the general impressions about his person, he makes the question personal. 

However, the highlight is when Jesus ties the revelation of Peter to the cross. 

Put differently, if we may ask what explains the Christ of God best, it is the cross.

Hence, while Jesus helps us see the inseparable connection between him and the cross, he also cautions us that he cannot be understood apart from the cross. 

Any other identity of Jesus is incorrect because it flows from a wrong understanding of his person. 

Following this logic, Christian life can only be explained in relation to the cross. 

It is good to remember that the cross, the sign of our liberation, was intended for Jesus to serve as an instrument of torture. But Jesus performs his last miracle when he transforms it into an instrument of our salvation. 

Hence, the cross is not a sign of misfortune or adversity. Instead, what Jesus died on is the eloquent sign of our redemption. 

Inspired by the fact that the right understanding of Jesus helps us imitate him better, let us pray for the grace to recognize the identity of Christ that proceeds from the cross. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar