Third Sunday of Lent - The Cross at the Center
We have entered the desert. We have spoken honestly about sin and mercy. Now Lent brings us to the heart of everything: The Cross.
St. Paul writes, “We preach Christ crucified” (cf. Holy Bible, 1 Corinthians 1:23). Not Christ as an idea. Not Christ as inspiration. Not Christ as a moral teacher.
Christ crucified.
The Cross is not an unfortunate ending to the story of Jesus. It is the very reason He came. Every temptation in the desert was an invitation to avoid it. Every misunderstanding from the crowds pushed against it. Even His own disciples struggled to accept it.
And if we are honest, so do we.
We prefer a Christianity without sacrifice.
We prefer discipleship without cost.
We prefer resurrection without crucifixion.
But there is no Easter without Good Friday. The Cross reveals two things at the same time: the seriousness of sin and the depth of God’s love. Sin is so destructive that it requires redemption. And God’s love is so faithful that He willingly gives Himself to accomplish it.
The Cross stands at the center of our faith because it tells the truth.
It tells the truth about us — that we cannot save ourselves.
It tells the truth about God — that He does not abandon us.
In Lent, we are not simply asked to admire the Cross. We are invited to take up our own. Jesus is clear: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (cf. Holy Bible, Matthew 16:24).
Your cross may not look dramatic. It may be hidden.
It may be illness.
It may be strained relationships.
It may be responsibilities that feel heavy.
It may be the quiet struggle against habitual sin.
The temptation is to resent the Cross, to see it as punishment or proof that God has forgotten us. But the Cross is not rejection. It is participation. When we unite our suffering to Christ — intentionally, prayerfully — it becomes redemptive. It becomes a path to holiness.
Lent asks us a difficult question:
Is the Cross at the center of my life, or is comfort?
If comfort is at the center, faith becomes fragile. When suffering comes, we are shaken. When inconvenience appears, we drift. But if the Cross is at the center, everything changes. We begin to see sacrifice not as meaningless loss, but as love poured out. The Cross disciplines us. It purifies our motives. It teaches us endurance. It deepens compassion. It anchors hope. And most importantly, it leads to resurrection.
This week, spend time before a crucifix. Do not rush. Look at it. Pray with it. Ask the Lord to show you what you are still resisting. Ask Him for the grace not merely to endure your cross, but to embrace it with trust.
Because when the Cross is at the center, Christ is at the center.
And where Christ is, there is life.
In Christ,
Fr. Joe Connelly