We have all heard the expression that someone “Cannot see the forest for the trees,” which is an idiom meaning that one’s focus or vision is so fixated on what is directly in front of them that they cannot see the bigger picture.
Unfortunately, this is often true of Christians during Great Lent. We become so fixated on fasting rules and regulations, all the so-called “dos and don’ts,” that we totally miss the point of our Lenten Journey: returning to God and transforming our entire being to align with Christ.
Therefore, to provide a more accurate vision of what it means to be and live by the Christian Faith, to realize our purpose and recognize our responsibilities to God, the Church, in its infinite wisdom, places the Cross directly in front of us today so that we might indeed see the entire forest through this tree; the “Tree of Life.” For the Cross provides a true vision of our journey through life. It provides an image of self-discovery and self-sacrifice, humility, selflessness, strength, courage, and honor. The Cross symbolizes a vision of what true stewardship is and what it is not.
The Cross of Christ provides stability in an unstable world. It offers peace, solace, comfort, and hope because our Lord transformed this cruel instrument of torture into a true weapon of love to cut down and destroy evil. Christ took a horrific, despicable tool of crucifixion and made it a sacrificial object of adoration and veneration. A recognizable emblem of the Church, for although it took a life, it ultimately became a triumphal source of life, a symbol of victory over death and of Jesus’ immeasurable love for us.
