STAT CRUX DUM VOLVITUR ORBIS!
Fr Ireneusz Skubis
‘The cross is steady while the world is turning’, was the translation of this thought of Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski in front of the Jasna Gora monastery. In fact, how often we are moved to hear of some desire to shake or even abolish the cross of Christ, which irritates consciences and consequently, it is a sign that cannot be accepted. For us, Christians, the cross is a sign of the greatest love. Christ gave his life for man; he gave it unselfishly because he wanted God to forgive the sins of mankind so that there is an inner balance after man’s sin. Unfortunately, sin is sweeping the world with great power and impetus. Evil powers fighting against God have managed to involve numerous Christians who like Eve in the paradise yielded to Satan. The lack of faith, the lack of deep religious experience made many people yield to atheists and like Judas betrayed Jesus for a better post, easier life. One can also see that in today’s Poland, although the godless political system allegedly ended, there are still strong attacks against Christ’s cross. And a lot of people in the world are losing their lives because of their faith. Many people do not like this most important sign of Christianity.
What we all can surely do is to deepen the meaning of the cross, get to know its theology because it contains the essence of the Christian teaching. And I think that the recent publicised affairs focusing on the cross paradoxically make us reflect this way, make us come closer to the Crucified Jesus, and make us realise that this sign is really very dear to us.
The cross of Christ is present all over the world. We can see crosses on the roofs of numerous churches, crosses standing at roads and walking routes; we have crosses in our parishes, reminding us of wonderful anniversaries; there are crosses in cemeteries where our dearest ones were laid to rest and finally, there are crosses in our homes.
These are important signs reminding us that our lives do not end at the moment of death, that our lives reach eternity. Therefore, the important thing is to put things at right places. The cross is a guarantee of public order, social order; it ensures moral order in families. It is a witness of our Christian life and adherence to Christ.
The cross does not shake. It is strong since the values it carries are stable. When man looks at the cross he becomes stronger because he realises that loving God is with him, giving his grace and mercy.
‘It is the world that is unsteady’, Cardinal Wyszynski said. Indeed, there are wars, unrest and sin in the world. The world forgets about the biggest values and proceeds towards the civilisation of death. We are afraid of death. We do not want to die and at the same time we can sentence innocent people to death. The immorality of the world immerses man in conformism and liberalism, leading history of mankind to catastrophe.
The turning world is also cataclysms, which we are observing very intensively nowadays. They are the result of man’s sin, his lack of deeper reflection, to a considerable extent.
One should adhere to the cross of Christ and believe that only the cross is our real rescue, help and joy, and we can really win only in it.
"Niedziela" 37/2010