The Cross of Christ is the greatest sign of contradiction in human history. When you look at the cross, what do you see? Emptiness, pain, betrayal, sadness, sorrow, agony, misery and shame? Or comfort, trust, sacrifice, love, embrace, victory, triumph? It is one reality that could be seen in different perspectives. The understanding of suffering and pain by those who possess the gift of faith should be different from those who do not. Again, I repeat, the Cross of Christ is the greatest sign of contradiction in human history.

The readings of this Sunday present us with great contradictions of all time: Love and hatred, good and evil, life and death, destruction and restoration, condemnation and justification, light and darkness, exile and homecoming, grace and vulnerability.

With that short historical account of the Second Book of Chronicles concerning the destruction of Jerusalem followed by the exile of the people, the first impression in this passage is to classify this as one of the tragic stories of the ancient writings. But that is not the point. It is about the subsequent restoration of Jerusalem during the reign of Cyrus of Persia. The Temple was rebuilt, the people came back from exile, Zion was once again a place to call home. This is the point of our Christian belief. It is not about the cross and death; it is about resurrection. It is not about sin and death; it is about life and grace.

Take a look at Psalm 136 (137); it could be a song of joy or sadness. It depends from whose perspective it is viewed. As for the people of ancient Israel, it is a song of freedom; a song of liberation expressing the joy of salvation. “By the Rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept, remembering Zion, on the poplars that grew there, we hung up our harps.” The psalmist goes on to say, “It was there that they asked us, our captors for songs, our oppressors for joy, sing to us they said, one of Zion’s songs”. It is normal to remember the past with its challenges. But we don’t dwell in the past. We live in the present looking forward to the future in hope.

We are not necessarily defined by our past. We define the present and the future. We are not victims of anti-Semitism, we are survivors. We are not victims of Black History and slavery, we are survivors. We are not victims of brutal political regimes, we are survivors. We are not victims of domestic and sexual abuses, we are survivors. We are more than conquerors because of He that loves us. It is this love that John repeatedly affirms in his gospel: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him will have life eternal.” (Jn 3:16) St Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians acknowledges the unquantifiable nature of this love. It is that grace that is unmerited. The amazing grace which has brought us thus far; and after the exile of this barren land, will lead us safely to our homeland, the heavenly Jerusalem. “If I forget you Jerusalem; if I prize you not Jerusalem, above all my joys!”