The cross is standard image in a church, though some had been substituting the dying Christ with the resurrected Christ on the cross. It is common figure in cemeteries and, of course, it is carried during world youth days.
We must realize the important symbolism of the cross. God became man to save mankind. And he could have done it anyway other than by being crucified on the cross. But if He used another manner of redeeming mankind, He would not have been able to demonstrate His love and perfect humility. Christ described love as a man laying down his life for a friend. The laying down of one’s life takes center stage.
The life of Christ, from birth to death, is a life of suffering, or a life of carrying the cross till its summit by death on the cross. The lesson is clear. To learn how to love, one must learn how to undergo suffering as Christ underwent it. Love of God and neighbor cannot be learned in any otherway, except by taking up His cross and following Him. How we wish there were another way. But there is none. The very first command of Christ, “to deny oneself” is the beginning of the way of the cross. The crucifixion or the life of martyrdom is the apex.
The early Christians were convinced of this, that martyrdom was every Christian’s dream. It was the only way that one fulfills the entire Gospel. And when martyrdom went out of style, the monastic life, commonly referred to as white martyrdom, became the trend.
Most Christians, today, cannot see martyrdom, or death on the cross as the goal of Christianity. Of course, white martyrdom is described by St. Paul as dying to the world. This means dying to oneself or dying to one’s desire. The monks describe it as becoming as dead men, with no will of one’s own but desirous only of doing God’s will.
It is good to remind the youth what the cross means. It should inspire their idealism to the purity of Christ’s teachings. It might even fill up monasteries.