Isaiah 66:10-14 / Galatians 6:14-18 / Luke 10:1-12, 17-20
The cross the most universally recognizable symbol of Christianity.
Any institution that would want to identify itself as Christian would have a symbol of the cross.
And for us Catholics, it would be more than just the symbol of the cross. It would also be the crucifix – the cross with the figure of Jesus on it.
And more than that, we would identify ourselves as Catholics whenever we make the sign of the cross. In a way it is a uniquely Catholic gesture.
We make the sign of the cross when we pray. And more so in church we will make a big sign of the cross.
But in the food court, when we say the “Grace before meal” we make a small sign of the cross, maybe even a tiny one, and we may even wish that no one will see us doing it.
But whether we make a big sign of the cross or a small one, it is an expression of faith.
As we make the sign of the cross, we call upon the name of God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
As we make the sign of the cross, we remind ourselves that God dwells in us and we are to live our lives in God.
But there is also another often forgotten reason why we make the sign of the cross.
When we make the sign of the cross, we mark ourselves five times – on the forehead, on the chest, on the shoulders, and on the heart.
These five markings represent the five wounds of Jesus. Those are the five wounds He suffered on the cross and even after His Resurrection, even in His glorified body, He retained those five wounds.
It is by those wounds that St. Thomas made that profound proclamation – My Lord and my God.
It is by those wounds that we are healed (1 Peter 2:24) and it is by the blood that flowed from those wounds that we are saved.
That is why in the 2nd reading, St. Paul tells the Galatians that the marks on his body are those of Jesus, and he is referring to those five wounds.
He explains it like this: The only thing I can boast about is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.
He goes on to say that peace and mercy comes to all who follow the way of Christ, and by bearing the wounds of Jesus, we will also accept our own sufferings for the sake of Jesus (Col 1:24).
When we see in our own sufferings the wounds of Jesus, then we would be willing to be labourers in God’s harvest.
And we would be willing to be sent out like lambs among wolves and to bring peace to a troubled and dangerous world.
It is in this midst of trouble and danger that Jesus said He would give us power to tread underfoot serpents and scorpions and the whole strength of the enemy.
Well to that, a missionary can give testimony as he relates his encounter with danger. This missionary was serving in a rural area where electricity was generated by a diesel generator.
One stormy night, the generator failed and his house was in total darkness. He had no torchlight but he remembered that there were candles and matches in the church.
So he felt his way around, got out of the house and using the walls as a guide, made his way to the church, all this in pitch darkness.
Finally, he got to the candles and lighting a candle he made his way back to the house safely.
A few days later, there was another storm, and again the generator failed. This time around, the missionary was prepared and he had a torch light.
So, with confidence, he made his way to the church to get some candles.
But as he opened the door to step into the church, his steps came to a sudden halt.
Because, as he shined his torch light ahead of him, he saw a snake coiled up at the entrance of the door; it was taking shelter from the rain.
He turned back immediately and headed straight for his house, and when he got back, he went down on his knees to thank God (of course he made a big sign of the cross)
As he thought about it, just a few days back, he made the same way in pitch darkness and, thank God, there was no snake.
This time around, he was not going to tread on the snake to see if it would bite; that would be crazy.
Putting it in any way we want, we can be sure that Jesus was protecting that missionary, when he made his way to the church in pitch darkness.
Jesus wants to protect us as we make our way in this world that is darkened by fear and danger, where the wolves howl, the snakes bite and the scorpions sting.
Jesus sends us forth into the world to be instruments and channels of His peace in the midst of fear and danger.
But let us also remember that peace is not the absence of fear and danger. There will always be fear and danger.
Peace is the presence of God, in the midst of fear and danger.
At every Mass, Jesus says to us – Peace I leave you, My peace I give you.
So Jesus already gave us His peace. That’s what we have. That’s what we must be – a people of peace.
Because Jesus is our peace; from His wounds flow peace and mercy.
So as we face fear and danger, let us make the sign of the cross. The wounds of Jesus will protect us. By His wounds we will be healed and we will be saved.