The danger of Christ without the cross
By Tom Quiner
The modern culture wants to strip away the Cross.
Nowhere is this seen more than in the critical social issues of the day: human abortion and so-called gay marriage.
A man and woman choose to engage in sexual intercourse. They’re not married. She gets pregnant. He doesn’t want a child. She doesn’t either, especially if he’s making a big fuss over the situation.
The modern culture says abort. It’s not a viable person yet. It’s okay.
The baby is the Cross, the inconvenience.
The modern culture says it’s not a Cross anyone should have to carry if they don’t want to. Laws have been passed to ensure that someone else, the child, carries the Cross alone.
A man is attracted to other men. His faith tells him not to act on them. But the culture says there is nothing wrong with it. Even more, the culture says two men, or two women for that matter, should be allowed to marry each other. Marriage is not about children, goes this thinking. Marriage is about attraction, desire, lust, you.
No one should have to carry the Cross of suppressed desire says the culture. That’s too big a Cross to bear, goes the thinking.
I understand.
Each of us has our own Crosses to bear. Who among us wouldn’t like to shirk the duty? Who among us wouldn’t like to take the easy path?
And yet the Cross is critical, or else Christ wouldn’t have carried it for us. And He asks us to carry it with Him.
The late, great Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen weighs in:
“The modern world, which denies personal guilt and admits only social crimes, which has no place for personal repentance but only public reforms, has divorced Christ from His Cross; the Bridegroom and Bride have been pulled apart.
What God hath joined together, men have torn asunder. As a result, to the left is the Cross; to the right is Christ. Each has awaited new partners who will pick them up in a kind of second and adulterous union. Communism comes along and picks up the meaningless Cross; Western post-Christian civilization chooses the unscarred Christ.”
I think our Culture has it wrong.
When people start questioning you about why you go to a “Catholic” church ( and I’ve been hearing that from a lot of young people lately) it makes you start realizing how big of an impact social progression is already beginning to have on our current, younger generation.
I recently received an approval for an article (from a well – known, woman’s news magazine) that discusses this very issue.
So obviously, Tom, we are not the only One’s noticing this. Keep up these topics – they need to be brought forth – into the light.
Thanks, Joseph.
Reblogged this on The Peanut Gallery.
Thanks for the re-blog!
I can agree that each of us have a “cross to bear”. I just think only God would be qualified to assign each cross. When God tells me personally that gay marriage is wrong, then I will be right there with you.
We’ve been through all of this before, Bob. Scripture considers a marriage to be between a man and a woman. No need to rehash it.
Yes, God has already told us through Scripture and the Church. Also, your article reminds that “we proclaim Christ crucified,” which is why the crucifix is prominent in our faith.