Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” John18:36-38

“ The Human Condition is the Passion of Christ.” – Clarice Lispector, The Passion according to G.H.

In Brazil, many talented artists in the past come from the poorest of poor. Most of their songs, as popular as they were at one time, are forgotten. However, the ones that linger touch on suffering and pain. These are the ones that most people can identify with. One in particular the artist mentions that he was born to suffer while others laugh in joy. It sounds tragic, devastating, and painful to hear. However, it is the reality of many in this world. It is something our children and teens have accepted as their reality. They have accepted some things which you and I might feel indignant about and we are justified for feeling this way. They accept the fact of being mistreated and exploited in their jobs, of being always treated with suspicion when enter certain stores, humiliated by the law enforcement, and always treated as third class citizens. All these things Jesus faced and experienced on the Cross. For many in this world, this is their way of life. Our children and teens have accepted this as the norm. We cannot say that they are wrong. From the way things are going, life is going to be harder for everyone and much worse for them. They did not ask for this life. It was given to them. Jesus, on the other hand, deliberately chose to be with these little ones. His death on the Cross was His final participation with people whose lives are a constant cycle of torment and humiliation and sometimes unjust painful death. Jesus became one of these little ones. He suffered and died like them. Therefore, in order to understand the Cross better, we have to acknowledge the pain and suffering of these little ones, too.

We are living in a tragic moment in this city. Last month more than 65 thousand people died from the Pandemic. The death rate keep rising. The slow and inefficient vaccination program and apathetic attitude of the major authorities have the people here feeling lost, abandoned and hopeless. We are not excluded from these sentiments. In a strange way, it has brought us closer to the Cross.
It has brought in touch with the human condition of many in this world, not just being aware of their suffering, but participating in it. At this moment, we have some expectations. These can transform us or drive us deeper into the abyss of hopelessness.

The people who demanded the crucifixion of our Lord once trusted Him. They trusted Him to be their Christ, their Saviour. However, they were expecting a kind of superhero who would come down and kill all the enemies and established a divine order according to how they believed things should be organized. However, God is not a servant of our expectations. Instead, He came to expose the true condition of our humanity. We create whatever illusions we want to have about our lives. The Cross will always expose the Truth about our humanity. Our human condition is such that we are a people who tortured, as well as, are tortured. We are the oppressors and the oppressed. There is not much beauty and hope in us as human beings. It is not a pessimistic or misanthropic view of humanity. It is the perspective of the Cross. The scene is unsightly. All the beauty which we have been proud of is reduced to rubble at the Cross. This is not a bad thing. It is actually something wonderful. We have to reduce to nothing so that something new can come forth.

In the moment of pain and suffering, Jesus reaffirms His true vocation, which is to establish the Truth. He did not come to make things better. He came to establish the Truth and the first task and most essential task is to destroy the foundation of lies upon which we build our lives. This is why it was indispensable that at the Cross we see humanity in its true form and contradictions. The Truth that Jesus reveals creates something new. It is necessary to tear down the old to contract the new. The Cross is like the story of the Tower of Babel told from a redemptive perspective. Instead of separating the people, there is a Truth that reconciles and builds something new forever connecting us with God. Pilate asked, “What is the truth?” He was expecting a doctrine or a philosophy. However, Truth is a person. We cannot explain a person to someone. We have to meet Him personally to know Him. Many seek for Truth and some have given up. Some think that it is pointless. There are some who are puzzled. They know that there is an answer for the nagging question in their soul. Like Pilate, they ask the same question, “What is the truth?” There is no shortcut to knowing the answer. However, it is not possible to receive the Truth bypassing the Cross. If we are serious about the Truth, then the Holy Spirit will bring us to the Cross. The journey might be painful and lonely. It may destroy everything that we thought was precious and beautiful. It will make us realize like St Paul that everything before the Cross is dung. However, one thing is important for us to know. Jesus on the Cross does not mean that we can bypass it. He invites us to join Him. If we accept this invitation, then we know what to expect.