The Cross-Road to Healing

It seems unnatural to love our enemies, to resist retribution and revenge. All religions agree that love, respect, kindness and good deeds are essential. Only Christianity adds “Love your enemy” and “Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21). At the heart of this hard teaching is the choice to surrender our desire for revenge and lust for violence at our enemy’s expense, and let God take care of it. 

Peter’s good intentions were the very key to undoing Jesus’ commitment to God’s way, by tempting him to avoid the cross. We are all tempted many times in our lives to choose the easy way out, trying to avoid suffering at the expense of our souls. Chief Black Elk wrote, “The good road and the road of difficulty you have made to cross. And where they cross, the place is holy.”

His play on the image of the cross is intentional. As a survivor of the massacre at Little Big Horn, he knew about resisting revenge, and not being overcome by evil, but overcoming evil with good.  He became a Christian and an active Episcopalian!    

The Cross of Christ is a symbol that started out as the ultimate shame. Over time the empty cross became the answer to all suffering. There is nothing in this life so terrible, so painful, and so death-dealing that, by God’s grace, cannot be healed and turned somehow into good. It is no accident that the empty Cross has come to be the most traditional – and powerful – symbol in Christianity. (Oehmig). 

Since Jesus lived, died and was Resurrected for us, Christians have survived and thrived through atrocities, injustices, indignities and interpersonal clashes. They have done so, and changed many enemies and bystanders along the way for good, by choosing to follow the Way of Jesus – to give up revenge and make way for God’s healing grace. These moments of choice are as holy as the Cross by which such choices are made. These choices are the key to healing suffering of body, mind, spirit and relationships. Today is Healing Sunday. Let us take time to silently offer to God our choice to choose love over resentment and revenge, to let go and let God, and to open ourselves to the grace of God’s healing love.

 Amen.