Dad Franz called his three sons one day to his drawing room. He wants them to sketch a mail greeting to his closest comrade during younger days. The three ran and finished the work in time. But dad Franz tore the younger one’s picture and threw it into the dustbin. He said ‘Cross is a bad omen’. It was a picture of a cross.
The purport of the cross is still the same. It is an instrument execution. The Persians first used it. Cross always presumed a culprit on it. The semantics of the cross in the pre-Christian tradition still jog on. Then what dad Franz said is right ‘Cross is a bad omen’. Still a bad omen.
Cross was never the brand mark of Christian in the first four centuries. Even in the second century, when Christianity was thriving, there is a reference of Emperor Aleximanes worshipping a cross with an as head. Factually speaking, the cross gained sanctification only in the 4th century by Emperor Constantine, connected to the finding of the true cross of Jesus. (In principle, the meaning and significance of cross was changed by Jesus’ death on the cross). Still its alteration of interpretation was limited only in liturgical arena.
In fact, cross is spoken of as synonymous to sins, burdens, mistakes, nuisances, bad omen, etc…. It has recourse to the often misinterpreted verse ‘take up your cross and follow me’. The contextual meaning of the verse is undermined and the absurdity of validating the clause to the people of the day persisted. Jesus said this much before his crucifixion. The then meaning of the cross swerved after his d4ath on the cross. It became a symbol of salvation. But still we consider cross parallel to the old meaning of burdens, sins, etc… and carry it in the form of guild and grief.
Francis gazed at the crucifix in San Damiano. He never took the cross and followed Jesus in guilt and grief. He asked for a new teaching, a new way of life ‘what do you want me to do?’. For the cross, which had the so-called bearing of mistakes and sins, was carried ‘once and for all’ by Jesus. It was an unrepeatable act of accomplishing the redemption there in that moment of history, the mission of Francis was not carrying cross but to carry Jesus on the cross. Francis was well aware of the words of Jesus ‘you will do better things than me.’ So he became cross and carried Jesus. Jesus carried the cross and Francis carried Jesus. Why should we carry the burden of the sins by ourselves? Why should we be ashamed of our mistakes? Why should we be blamed for? Jesus carried all those ‘ones and for all’ as an unrepeatable act. Then it is not fair (it is not Christian) to cogitate and cerebrate over the faults we committed and others have done. Rather than making reparation, let the concern be of its reason and cause. No more stain of sin, no more black dots of grief and guilt, but Jesus, only marks of Jesus’ victory. No more carrying cross but we bear Christ.
Francis mounted the hill in prayer. Hours later Leo went in search of him. As he climbed up he saw a shadow of cross down to him. He went up only to find Francis in stretched hand, praying. Francis became a cross to carry Jesus, the saviour.
No more his life was to carry crosses (burdens, sins, mistakes, guilt, faults…) but to bear the one who carried the cross.
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