by Father John P. Cush
As a young priest, I was blessed to be assigned to Saint Helen’s Parish in Howard Beach. It was a wonderful parish, led by an exemplary pastor, Msgr. Joseph Pfeiffer. Although the parish was established in 1960, the parish church itself was not built until 1979. When it was built, it was decided that on the wall of the sanctuary, there would be a large bronze Risen Christ in lieu of a crucifix (today that Risen Christ is placed on the outside wall of Saint Helen’s Church).
When I arrived as a newly ordained priest in 1999, fresh from studies in Rome (for the first time), there was no crucifix at all in St. Helen’s Church. After a few years, a beautiful Cimabue processional cross, with a very striking image of the crucified Lord, was purchased for the parish. At that time period, around 2003, that particular cross was placed by the side of the altar, signifying the central place that the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ had at the celebration of Holy Mass.
What I found fascinating was the reaction from some parishioners when the crucifix was introduced. For some, the thoughts expressed were that it was long overdue. For others, it was considered a necessity because of the norms for the Liturgy as dictated by the General Instruction of the Roman Missal of 2002. And yet, for some others, the appearance of the crucifix in the sanctuary was a surprise, and they were rather upset. For this small group, the mantra of opposition was, “We are an Easter people and alleluia is our song,” and indeed that is correct. They stated the Resurrection is the center of our faith, not the crucifixion. And yes, these parishioners were correct. However, they forgot one important fact — we cannot get to the resurrection without the passion.
Today, the Church celebrates Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, the only Sunday of the Church’s liturgical calendar when the story of the passion and death of the Lord Jesus Christ is read. The familiar story of Jesus’ suffering and death is recounted and we can use this time to reflect on our own suffering and the ways that it might prove to be redemptive in our lives.
The old song from the rock group REM said: “Everybody hurts … sometimes,” and it is true. Everybody hurts. Sometimes that hurt is visible and apparent to everyone; many times, it is not visible at all. Everybody hurts … sometimes, and seeing the crucifix reminds us of this reality that stems from our fallen human condition.
Seeing the All-Beautiful One transcend beauty marred causes us to recognize that eternal triumph comes through suffering. Christ is beaten, bloodied, bruised, broken under the weight of his cross on the natural level on the way to Golgotha; he is in agony on the supernatural level, bearing the load of our sins. Everybody hurts … even the Son of God, he who is God himself, the Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity.
And, despite the apparent failure in the eyes of the world, the Lord Jesus’s suffering leads to his glorification. By his wounds, we are healed. With, through, and in him, all our sufferings in life can lead us to greater holiness and to eternal life. When we join our suffering to that of Christ, it is no longer meaningless but has absolute meaning.
There can be no Easter without the suffering recounted in our Palm Sunday liturgy. This week, spend some time in prayer before a crucifix, joining any problems, worries, anxieties to that of the suffering, yet triumphant Lord, realizing that everybody hurts …but only sometimes.
Readings for Palm Sunday
Isaiah 50: 4-7
Psalm 22: 8-9, 17-20, 23-24 Philippians 2: 6-11
Matthew 26: 14—27: 66 or Matthew 27: 11-54
Father Cush, a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn, serves as Academic Dean of the Pontifical North American College, Rome.