Blowing out the Candle

 

“Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news.” Anne Frank

I am surrounded by crosses. There’s a pyrographic cross I burned a few years ago that hangs above my retirement clock (it tells me what day of the week it is). I have several Cursillo crosses beside me, as well as some I crafted using twigs I secured from the grounds of my church in Ennis a few years back; they broke when the wind blew – they remind me of our fallen nature. 

A Cursillo Cross

“Take up your cross,” says Jesus. Beside the office door at home is yet another rather large cross I inherited from my parents’ estate when they passed away a few years ago. It hung in their living room for decades, making that room truly sacred space for family gatherings during holidays and various celebrations of life.

The Family Cross

Crosses are an iconic image for many who identify as Christian. How people identify is up to them; it’s not up to me. I think some folks worry too much about how others identify, whether it is in matters of religion, politics, economic status, gender, or any  of a zillion other things one can think of.

I’ll confess I don’t worry about whether or not someone is or is not a Christian. I just want to know: are they kind? Decent? Honest? Compassionate? Dependable?  Those are things that matter. Not the color of their skin, their place of origin, or the language they speak at home or amongst themselves (let alone whether they carry a cross, a star of David, a crescent moon, or any other identifying mark or symbol).

If one believes themselves to be a member of a particular faith community or not, by whatever means they make that determination, that’s OK by me. It’s not my job or prerogative to identify or define the other person or group. I believe God’s light can be found in every person of every stripe. It’s not my job to go around blowing out someone else’s candle!

Getting back to crosses, though, they are so commonplace we seldom give them much thought, but many of us can share stories behind the crosses we own. For many, a cross is simply something found on jewelry, such as ear rings or necklaces; for Christians, though, it is a sign – perhaps the supreme sign – of our faith.

As you read this, Christians around the world are in the midst of what they call Holy Week. They are commemorating the events that took place in Jerusalem during the last week of Jesus’ life on earth. The climactic event of the week is Jesus’ arrest, trial, torture and, finally, execution on Good Friday. It was a bloody, shocking, horrible day. The cross reminds us of just how absolutely horrible we humans are (or can be). 

If Jesus had been gunned down, perhaps the symbol of our faith would be little gold AK-47s or AR-15s or silver Saturday night specials. Wouldn’t that be shocking? Wouldn’t that be horrible? Perhaps, if we understand that every man, woman, and child who is killed by violence is as much a victim today as Jesus was in his day, we might carry these symbols as reminders that we kill Jesus, and continue to kill him in so many different ways with our own thoughts, words, and deeds.

There has never been a shortage of martyrs in our world. Martyrdom hasn’t ceased. We continue to kill those who are different, those we don’t understand. Some we kill with indifference.

The world sees violence as inevitable, and the use of violence as justifiable. We, as Christians, know better, or at least we ought to know better. It’s not enough to just hang our crosses, wear them, or carry them. The cross is scandalous, and foolish. We wear them and display them as a reminder that there IS another way. We don’t carry on as victims; like Jesus, we carry on with a purpose: to bring life to all who hurt, and light to those who dwell in darkness.

The cross reminds us, not of how horrible the other person can be, but of how horrible each of us can be. We cannot control the other, but we can strive to see the light that burns within the heart of the other, and give thanks for that light. Better than snuffing it out in this, our valley.

Keith Axberg writes on matters concerning life and faith. Author of: Who the Blazes is Jesus? Good News for a Vulgar World (available through Amazon in Print and e-book)