2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23 / Ephesians 2:4-10 / John 3:14-21
In a Catholic Church, there are quite a few prominent religious objects.
These prominent objects remind us, as well as help us, to keep focused that we are in a holy place.
One of these prominent objects is the Crucifix. The Crucifix is either mounted on a stand or on the wall, and it should be obvious enough.
For this church, the Crucifix is mounted on the top of the high altar.
The crucifix is not just a horizontal and a vertical beam that are joined at the centre.
On the Crucifix, there is the body, or the corpus, of Jesus attached to it.
That serves to remind us that Jesus suffered and died on the Cross to save us from our sins.
The Crucifix also points to the great and marvellous love that God has for us.
God let His only Son be put to death on the Cross by sinful men, so as to be the sacrifice for our sins.
As today’s Gospel tells us: God loved the world so much, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not be lost but may have eternal life.
So, the Crucifix is the symbol of God's marvellous love and salvation for sinful humanity.
The Crucifix also tells us of another truth that is stated in the gospel:
For God sent His Son into the world, not condemn the world, but so that through Him the world might be saved.
So, the Crucifix does not point to judgment and condemnation, but rather, it points to forgiveness and reconciliation.
The Crucifix is raise up high in the Church for everyone to look and to contemplate, to ponder and to wonder.
The Crucifix stands silently as the testimony of God's saving love for Humanity.
And going beyond to what is visible, the crucifix also radiates the light of love gently on those who gaze upon it.
There is this story told by a priest of a young Christian man who was disillusioned and disappointed at the state of the Church.
He had also lost his faith, and he saw Christians as hypocrites, and the Church as a hypocrisy.
So, he went to the Church of his baptism and demanded from the priest that his baptism records be destroyed, and that he is not a Christian anymore.
The priest thought for a while, and then he said: Before I do that, may I ask you to do something.
The priest then brought the young man to the Church, and then he said: Look at Crucifix and shout as loud as you can with this: Jesus, you died for me, and I don't care!
The young man looked at the priest in astonishment, and then looked at the Crucifix.
He then took a deep breath and shouted: Jesus, you died for me, and I don't care!
The priest said, “I am not that convinced. Do it again and again until I know you mean it.”
So, the young man repeated it, and repeated it, but with each instance, his voice became softer and softer, until the young man stood there looking at the Crucifix.
Then the priest said to the young man, “Maybe you can take a seat and rest for a while, and come to see me later.”
The young man was left alone, staring at the Crucifix, and he stared and stared for a long time, until he came to his senses.
The one who told the story is a priest, and at the end of the story, he revealed that he was that young man.
The Crucifix is raised high and stands silently for all to see.
It does not judge or condemn, but it shows the sinless One who suffered and died on it for the salvation of sinners.
Let us look at the Crucifix, or even hold on to it and pray with it.
We cannot look at the Crucifix and yet continue to commit sin.
We cannot look at the Crucifix and yet judge others and say harsh things about them.
But Iet us look at the Crucifix and see the love of God in the One who is nailed to it.
May the Crucifix be our light, may it be our love, and may the Crucifix show us the meaning and our calling in life.