Scripture:
Exodus 20:1-17
1 Corinthians 1:22-25
John 2:13-25
Reflection:
As we move into this third week of Lent in his letter to the Corinthians Paul presents us with the boldly proclaimed central symbol of our faith, the crucified Christ. Paul assures us that when we gaze at the crucifix we see the power (dynamis, a word that is often used for ‘miracle" and corresponding in John to ‘sign’) and the wisdom of God. For us who believe the thorn crowned, bloody, and pierced body of Jesus draws us by ties of love to a Savior God who gives himself to us completely, even to death on a cross. The power of love transforms the human situation. Nothing is ever the same again. And in a mysterious way the weakness and defeat of the cross is the hidden wisdom of God. The secret revealed in the cross is that dying is the door to new life. May we enter deeply into this reality in our meditations on the crucifix during Lent. "We adore you O Christ and we bless you, because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world."
Fr. Michael Hoolahan, C.P. is on the staff of Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.