Back at Christmas we reflected on joy. Appropriately so.
We return now to that topic because the Christmas promise of “Joy to the World” finds its fulfillment on the cross.
Yes, that joy carries into the resurrection as well – but it is uniquely tied to the cross.
The resurrection was, to speak loosely, assured. Christ is God, with power over death. If Lazarus could be raised, certainly Christ Himself.
The cross, however, was a choice. “Father, not my will, but thine be done.”
The more we reflect on Christ, the more we find the resurrection is certainly a definitive sign of His divine power, but it is in His willingness to mount the cross that we come to believe in His divine love for each of us.
And so, St. Paul “preaches Christ crucified.”
And Christ Himself, just before uttering “For God so loved the world…” affirms the glory of the cross, “And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up [on the cross].” He must mount the wood of the cross – that is the only path.
For today, Holy Thursday, we enter into the Last Supper. As Jesus gives His final teachings to His beloved apostles, He says, “I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” Even then, mere hours from His horrific journey to the cross, joy is what is on His sacred heart.
Holy Thursday blessings to you –
Steve and Karen Smith
Interior Life