Jesus Loving His Broken Church

Jesus Loving His Broken Church
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
September 11, 2022

The official name, in some circles, for today’s feast:
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
Its sounds very, well, exalted, removed, perhaps vague,
to disappear from your mental landscape a few bites into brunch.
Let’s be honest!

This feast has its origin in Jerusalem

and is connected with the finding of what is believed to be the True Cross
by the mother of Emperor Constantine, Saint Helena, in 320. 

For our celebration, we try to see with eyes of faith. 
We go from the many symbols, 
to an acknowledgment of the exteriorly terrifying event of the Crucifixion 
(which we obviously did not witness!)
to Jesus pouring forth His love, 
in an incredible, incredibly humbling gift of Himself.
This love, divine love, is eternal and, therefore, is still poured forth. 
Herein lies the mystery of the Cross.
From symbol to event to mystery.

I, when lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.

Saint Maximilian Kolbe, the Franciscan friar who died in Auschwitz, 
offering his life in the stead of a married man with children, says
The Cross is the school of love.
Saint Augustine, Bishop in Northern Africa, died in 430, 
reads divine love in the event as related through Scripture and Tradition:
He bows His head, as if to kiss you.  
His heart is made bare, open, as it were, in love to you.  
His arms are extended that He may embrace you.
The Cross is the unexpected vehicle for God drawing all people to Himself, 
for divine love poured forth.  
The Cross is unexpected because it is at the intersection 
of betrayal, hatred, sadness, exhaustion and rejection that Jesus loves us.
Who does this?!?
Jesus!
The Cross is so unexpected that, as Saint Paul tells us, it is
a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles (I Corinthians 1:23).
Because divine love poured forth, however, the Cross can change 
our sufferings into expressions of love for God and mercy for our neighbor.

I, when lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.

We gather not simply to remember or “find ourselves in God’s story”
but to experience.
We always come to church to experience. 
We gather as Christ’s disciples 
to say “yes” to this attraction that is God’s initiative,
to experience the divine love still poured forth. 
This love is why there is still a Christian Church, after all these years.
She is not exactly unified, but She is still here!
We Christians even have sometimes done our best to terminate Her: 
sectarianism, indifference to grace and one another, scandals… 
Divine love shall not be nullified, however, 
by our inability to live up to life abundant in Christ.
It is not always easy to believe and, truth be told, 
the temptation to jump ship can be strong at times.
We do often pine for a perfect Church, for “spiritual not religious”.  
 
Queen Elizabeth II said on Christmas in 2011, at age 85:
Although we are capable of great acts of kindness, 
history teaches us that we need saving from ourselves ... 
God sent into the world a unique person, 
neither a philosopher nor a general ... 
but a Saviour, with the power to forgive. 
 
Let us put our trust in Christ Crucified, our Saviour Who forgives,
Who is not discouraged by our messes, Who keeps showing up despite us, 
Who says that, where two or more are gathered, who can get things wrong, 
are reticent to get involved, who even triangulate or gossip about each other, 
He is there. 
If we wish to be together, as called, as joined by divine love,
the “religious” and its messiness are inevitable.
The “spiritual”, the perfect Church, is present, deep inside us, 
where Christ freely dwells.
Against the Church, as Jesus promises, “the gates of hell shall not prevail.”
(Matthew 16:18).
 
Jesus is here with a power not our own, the power of His Cross,
the power of reconciliation for people who keep others at a distance 
because of language, political affiliation, skin color, disability, history,
people who thus do not deserve such presence and power. 
Jesus is here abidingly in the bread and wine, the Eucharist, 
here in the stranger sitting 10 feet behind you,
here, loving His broken Church into everlasting life.
And, we rejoice.  
AMEN.

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