The Throne of the Cross

We received in our office the early shipment of Pope Francis’ newest book The Church of Mercy. We couldn’t help but share with you a passage that we thought was fitting for our commemoration of Jesus’ death on the cross today. Pope Francis has much more to say, so take a look at his book and share the message of God’s mercy with others this Easter season!

Jesus enters Jerusalem in order to die on the cross. And it is precisely here that his kingship shines forth in godly fashion: his royal throne is the wood of the cross! Jesus takes it upon himself . . . Why the cross? Because Jesus takes upon himself the evil, the filth, the sin of the world, including the sin of all of us, and he cleanses it; he cleanses it with his blood, with the mercy and the love of God. Let us look around: how many wounds are inflicted upon humanity by evil! Wars, violence, economic conflicts that hit the weakest, greed for money that you can’t take with you and have to leave. When we were small, our grandmother used to say, “A shroud has no pocket.” Love of power, corruption, divisions, crimes against human life and against creation! And—as each one of us knows and is aware—our personal sins: our failures in love and respect toward God, our neighbour and the whole of creation. Jesus on the cross feels the whole weight of the evil,and with the force of God’s love he conquers it; he defeats it with his resurrection. This is the good that Jesus does for us on the throne of the cross. Christ’s cross, embraced with love, never leads to sadness, but to joy, to the joy of having been saved and of doing a little of what he did on the day of his death.

The Church of Mercy is available now through Novalis or at your local bookstore.