Three part homily
1. Signs stop green light bump school zone
political signs Republicans elephant
Democrats donkey
Nazi swastika
Star of David Israel
Stars & stripes U.S.
CROSS a sign suffering death salvation
Glory victory over death
Healing forgiveness love
Good quote: “The Cross is my eternal salvation;
My nourishment when I am hungry;
My fountain when I am thirsty;
My covering when I am naked;
My safeguard when in danger.
This is the Cross — the sign under which I choose to live
And die and live again.”
Crucifix
The reason that the dying ask to see the crucifix before they die is to be reminded that Jesus has been where they are now and by his grace they are now to go where he is. They know that the cross is a means, not an end. They know that death was real to Jesus as death is real to them now. They know that Jesus was not rescued in the nick of time. They know that when his hour was come he had to meet it, and there was no way out. They also know that this is true for them. Knowing this, they also know that by the cross Jesus made it through and he came out on the other side.
Jesus leads us through death to new life.
hymn:
“Abide with me”
“Hold thou thy Cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies;
Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee:
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.”
Jesus does not save us from suffering,
but is with us in suffering and through suffering.
Story: Nazi prisoner of war camp, Stalag Luft 1 1944…….Mixture of prisoners civilians and military. Some of the civilians were Jews and when discovered they were shipped to other camps, like Dachau where they were killed. Jim Blaricom was an American airman who was shot down over Germany. Jim was a Catholic……..Two civilians were Jewish, but had non-Jewish names. The men denied being Jewish but their lives were really at risk of detection. Jim thought of a good plan. There was a Catholic priest in the camp who was allowed to keep his rosary. This priest would lead the rosary as a religious service, since he could not say Mass. Jim thought that if he could get these two Jewish civilians into the Rosary group, that they would be able to pass as Christians. He decided to make these two Jews a crucifix to wear around their necks. He borrowed the priest’s rosary with the crucifix. He made a mold of wet sand and pressed the crucifix into the sand. He found some tin cans that the Red Cross delivered food rations. Jim heated up the lead solder and poured the hot lead into the sand mold. In this way he made two crucifixes, rather primitive looking, but they were real crosses. Jim gave these two signs of our faith to the two Jewish civilians who wore them around their necks with pride……….This simple sign of the saving cross of Jesus saved these two Jewish men. They all survived Stalag Luft 1 and Jim spend a long career in the military, but his most popular story is how he helped save two Jews with the cross of Jesus.
The Cross of Jesus can do exactly the same for you. All you have to do is believe.
