By Fr Phuong Vu SVD

We just celebrated Easter last month.  Each Easter season presents a deep meaning of salvation.  As we celebrate each season of Easter, it moves us toward a deep meaning of the mystery of death and resurrection of Christ.  The death of Christ on the cross is reflected in many salvation aspects of Christian life.  The cross becomes an icon for salvation, and it has no end, and it represents this for all nations on earth.  It becomes a personal attachment as well.  It empowers us into life. 

One day I was sitting in the Church and looked up at the cross.  It shed some salvific views for me.  I could understand that each country has its own flag, and the flag can push the people to bleed their blood by loving their countries.  However, the flag would not give them any salvation at all.  On the other hand, the cross is representing the Kingdom of God and it can relate to anyone who is willing to have faith in Christ.  It can become a personal attachment that people hang in their homes, cars, and around their neck.  It can adopt into any culture and it would not change at any time of life and it will last forever.  The cross empowers people to die for the Kingdom of God.  Especially those Christian martyrs, they embraced the cross and died for Christ.  As Christians, we look up to the cross and pray for our lives to ask for salvation.  It repeats the same story as when the Israelites were in the desert, and they looked up the bronze snake for their salvation. 

Christ carried the cross up to Golgotha, and it resembles the way in which God has carried us and lifted us up to a better life.  The cross draws all nations to God.  In the early Church St Peter and St Paul were dying on the cross but they were not doing so for our salvation.  Even the prophets in the Old Testament, they could not lead people into salvation.  Through the cross of Christ, saints inspire us to follow Christ that we can experience God in our daily life, and it helps us to develop our spiritual life.  Nurturing our spiritual life is a process for us to discover the true meaning of life and establishes a solid foundation of faith when we encounter a challenge of life.  It also allows us to experience Jesus’ words, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (Jn.10:10)

Through the cross, God continues to call people to follow Christ and anoints them to be a religious leader for the Church, such as Pope, Bishops, priests, religious and deacons.   In the Old Testament, King Melchizedek ordained Abram as the priest of God the Most High. (Gn. 14:18)  God ordained Christ as a perfect Royal priesthood of God the Most High. Christ has glorified God on earth and God glories Christ forever (Jn. 17:4-6).  Reflecting on our SVD founder, Arnold Janssen, God called him and anointed him to be the leader of three religious congregations.  During the whole life of Arnold, he glorified God, worshipped the Trinity, and called people to mission for Christ. 

We are holding the mission cross for our mission and the cross empowers us to glorify God.  We look up to the cross and search for God’s wisdom and love.  We take up our cross and follow Christ and we will receive life.  Christ has passion for his cross and had no fear of death.  The purpose for his death on the cross is for us to have life and have it abundantly.  That is the power of the cross.