Exaltations

On the days between the celebrations of the Exaltation of the Cross and the Stigmata of St Francis, I’m reminded of this cross that was made by a blind man out of the remains of the old US/Mexico border wall in Southern Arizona. Looking back, it was probably the thing that began and still does inspire me to seek out the beauty in the difficult times and circumstances of life.

The cross in our society has become a symbol of burden and suffering. We can often find ourselves saying “I’m bearing a big cross right now” or “I’ve had many crosses in my life”. We all bear crosses throughout our lives, some bigger than others and sometimes they seem more often than others. While no one likes to suffer, it is in this suffering that a transformation can happen. Oftentimes we can find ourselves searching for deeper meanings of things, whether it’s events in our lives or the greater questions of life in general. The crosses of life can lead us outside to something greater than ourselves, including the beauty of the other.

Tradition tells us that Francis of Assisi was blessed with the stigmata, the wounds of Christ. What does it mean to be stigmatized? Stigmas are usually seen as stereotypes and prejudices that are associated with characteristics or people. In this context, being stigmatized is being described in a negative manner. I found it quite interesting that in society this is something that draws us apart, and yet in our faith it is something that brings us closer to God. But thinking of it deeper, maybe that’s the point.

Francis received the stigmata because he became a reflection of the crucified Christ. He  sought out those in his society that were stigmatized, that were different from him, and saw the beauty of the divine in them. I look at our world, and I see so many people stigmatized, so much division, so much suffering, so many crosses. And yet I see the crosses as opportunities to become a reflection of the cross, the crucified, to see the fullness of the beauty of the other. 

We are called to be reflections of the cross. To end the stigmas, the divisions, the hurting world. To bear the wounds of empathy with those around us in their times of need that even if they are different from us, they are still seen, heard, and loved. Through this, the cross is no longer a symbol of suffering, but a symbol of the fullness of beauty.