40 Crosses for 40 Days: 38th Cross - The Trinity Crucifix*

I remember reading a short reflection from popular author, Max Lucado, years ago. He asked two questions. The first question was fairly simple. It was "Who would you die for?"

If we are even close to being a normal human, in relationship with other people, there should be a few names on this list. It would be a short list, but there would be a list. The people on this list might include our children, our spouse. Maybe a life-long friend would be on there. Again, this would not be a very long list, but there should be a handful of people that we love so much we would be willing to give our lives for.

The second question is harder, but much easier to answer. It is "Who would you give your child's life for?" The answer here is easy - "No one." There is no one who is worth my child's life.

Yet, God the Father answered this second question differently. Instead of saying "No one," He answered "Everyone." He gave the life of His only begotten, greatly beloved Son up for the lives of everyone. And more astonishingly, He did this knowing that His Son would not die for holy, perfect people full of gratitude at this sacrifice, but instead, for fallen, broken people who would not necessarily understand, notice or even appreciate His Son's death.

In his Letter to the Romans, St. Paul reminds us that "God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us." (Rom 5:8) Jesus didn't give His life for us because we deserved it. He did it to show His great love for His Father, and His great love for us, because the interior life of the Holy Trinity IS love.

Our salvation is first begun by the Holy Trinity.

As we enter into the passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, today, with the Last Supper, the Trinity crucifix reminds us that our salvation is a work first undertaken by the Holy Trinity. God acts first, as the Gospel of John reminds us. This reveals a love that, quite frankly, is so far beyond what we are capable of that we don't really understand it. (Jesus will address just how we can achieve this kind of love later, with Peter, after His resurrection.)

Scripture tells us that the apostles themselves were confused during the Last Supper. When Jesus explains the new meaning of the breaking of the bread and the drinking of the cup, there's no response recorded. Later, when Jesus is arrested on the Mount of Olives, Peter acts with violence and cuts off the ear of a servant there. Like us, the apostles didn't understand the depth of love that the Holy Trinity was about to display. It was only afterwards, with the descent of the Holy Spirit, that they could start putting it all together.

Let us pray: Holy Trinity, open our eyes to see that at every Mass, we celebrate the Last Supper with Jesus. Guide us through these three days, so that we may die with Jesus the Son, and rise with Him to new life on Easter Sunday. And in all things, we give You praise. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

*Although Lent technically ends today with the start of the Holy Triduum, we will continue to use the cross of Christ, the crucifix, as a most appropriate guide for Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday, finishing out the journey of '40 Crosses for 40 Days'.