Clanging Symbols

Summary of a Fr. Gerry Creedon homily from March 26, 2006

"Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." John 3:14

MY SISTER MIRIAM HAS A porch on her house that leads to her front door. On the wall by the entrance hangs a crucifix. She held her three-year-old son, Hugh, in her arms to protect him from the cold March wind that penetrates the marrow of the bone. He pointed out with alarm, "Look at that man out in the cold with no clothes on him except a towel. He will be perished with the cold." To the eyes of a child Jesus was alive. So often we walk into church and do not even see the crucifix. Our first gesture is the sign of the cross, which we can make unconsciously.

The scriptures today call us to have a fresh look at the cross and its meaning. This symbol can be misread. Because of the vagaries of European history, Muslims can see the cross as the banner used by the crusaders and Jews associate it with anti-semitic pogroms. In the Americas the conquistadors often brought the cross, accompanied by the sword. The distortion of religion by fundamentalism afflicts Islam; a topic we will discuss next Sunday evening. However, all of our religious symbols are open to abuse, even the cross.

By contrast, John's Gospel interprets the cross as the great sign of healing. He likens it to the pole held aloft by Moses in the exodus that brought hope. The serpent pole became the insignia of the medical profession.

The exalted cross would bring the world salvation. The psalmist laments: "How can I sing the song of the Lord in a strange land?" Salvation meant return from exile, reconciliation. Sin is seen as separation, exclusion.

The option provided this week by Bishop Loverde to allow young women to be included as altar servers may be seen as a sign of healing. Women have been hurt and alienated too often in the name of religion.

In the great national debate over immigration, it is easy to erect walls that separate and exclude. The cross breaks down the walls of hostility that divide. During the weeks of Lent, let us purify and renew religion so that our symbols may serve the message of salvation. Let us be one in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.