April 9, 2013      Martin Mallon  (Ireland)      Martin's previous articles                        

  THE WISDOM OF THE CROSS  

 In last week’s article I wrote that, until this Easter, the Cross never meant that much to me. The encounter between Pope Francis and a young boy, Dominic, who is suffering from cerebral palsy highlights the Cross and “shows once again how the wisdom of the Cross confounds human wisdom.”

 The above quote is from an article by Dominic’s father, Paul Gondreau, a theology professor and can be read here . Paul continues by asking an important question “Why is the whole world so moved by images of this embrace?” This image went viral and headlined around the world. Why? There can only be one answer, love.  (photos at above link)

We are made in the image of God; God is love; we are made longing to love and to encounter real love, God, and when we see this love we recognize it and are moved to tears, as in the case of the encounter between Francis and Dominic.  

As Paul writes “that Dominic’s special vocation in the world is to move people to love, to show people how to love. We human beings are made to love, and we depend upon examples to show us how to do this.”  

But why is it that the sight of the Pope kissing a disabled person is so moving? Again Paul has an answer:  

Because the Cross of Christ is sweet and is of a higher order. Christ’s resurrection from the Cross proclaims that the love he offers us, the love that we, in our turn, are to show others, is the REAL reason he endured the Cross in the first place. Our stony hearts are transformed into this Christ-like love, and thereby empowered to change hatred into love, only through the Cross. And no one shares in the Cross more intimately than the disabled. And so the disabled become our models and our inspiration.  

Paul points out that he does a lot for his son, “but he shows me how to love”.  

Paul then makes a statement that we should all embrace:  

Through their sharing in the “folly” of the  Cross, the disabled

are, in truth, the most powerful and the most productive among us  

The disabled are the “most powerful and the most productive among us.” This is turning the tables on nearly everyone’s view of life and requires time and thought to assimilate.  

Paul then stresses Pope Francis’ opening line in his Urbi et Orbi message: “I would like [the message of Christ's resurrection] to go out to every house and every family, especially where the suffering is greatest…” demonstrates that his devotion to the poor is not on a purely material basis.  

The Cross is about Jesus, Jesus is God and God is love. Looking at the Cross with love at the centre changes everything.