March 23: The Cross

"The Cross"
Written by the Reverend Canon Caleb J. Lee,
President of the Standing Committee for the Diocese of South Carolina
​
We adore you O Christ and we bless you.
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
 
It has been the practice of the Grace clergy this past week to walk and pray the Stations of the Cross every day at noon. I cannot tell you how fruitful this has been for my spiritual life. I think the other Grace clergy would tell you the same. The stations are on the perimeter of the campus. It has been my task to set out the small tile crosses that mark the stations. 
 
On the first day the bell tolled and we began our opening prayers before heading outside to the first station. The crucifer, carrying the large cross shrouded in purple, looked at me with a bit of hesitation. In his face I saw the question he was thinking:  “Which way do I go?” I nodded my head to the left and said, “Look for the cross along the way.”
 
We adore you O Christ and we bless you.
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
 
No other symbol carries the full weight of the human experience like the cross. The cross represents darkness and light, sadness and joy, death and life, brokenness and belovedness, despair and hope. I can say without hesitation that I felt all of these things this week. This past week the cross has played a central role in our lives.  Fun fact: the cross always plays a central role in our lives. However, sometimes we can see the cross more clearly and feel its weight and benefits more acutely. September 11th and the aftermath of that day was certainly one of those times when one was able to experience the cross in all of its power.  In death and in life. In despair and hope.  In darkness and in light.
 
We adore you O Christ and we bless you.
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
 
This past week, I have seen the cross in the fear and the doubt and uncertainty that infects us and those we love as the news changes by the hour. I have seen the cross in the hoarding of resources and in the empty shelves at supermarkets. I have seen the cross in the pictures of the sick on gurneys. The cross came to mind as I heard of the lack of resources for our medical professionals.   
 
We adore you O Christ and we bless you.
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
 
As much as the cross is about death and despair, that same cross is also about life and hope.   
 
To juxtapose the darkness and to overcome it, the light and life of the cross shines in radiant splendor. I have been uplifted by all the crosses donning the altars of my online heroes, who have given me and many a word of hope and prayer in a time of uncertainty. I have seen the hope of the cross in our healthcare professionals who are emptying themselves, pouring themselves out, for the sake of the neighbor and expressing in human form, the one way and unconditional love of Jesus. I have seen the love of the cross in all of the grocery store workers, who are likely getting paid minimum wage and risking their own health so that you and I can have access to food. I have experienced people coming together in solidarity, finding ways to help. I could go on and on. The radiance of the cross is unrivaled. However, to experience the light, we have to know the darkness.
 
We adore you O Christ and we bless you.
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

As people of faith, we can rest in the assurance that our Lord Jesus Christ was lifted high upon the cross so that we and the whole world might come within the reach of his saving embrace. As we move forward together into these unprecedented times, look for the cross along the way.
 
God’s Peace,
Caleb+