Today’s reflection is from Tom Cordaro, taken from the 2014 Lenten reflection booklet. Tom is a former staff member and National Council chair of Pax Christi USA and one of the co-founders of the Pax Christi Anti-Racism Team. He currently is the director of Justice and Outreach Ministry at St. Margaret Mary Parish in Naperville, IL. He is the author of the award-winning book, Be Not Afraid: An Alternative to the War on Terror.
reflection for GOOD FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 2021
by Tom Cordaro
Pax Christi USA Ambassador of Peace
Isaiah 52:13-53:12 | Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 | John 18:1-19:42
Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me…” (John 19:11)
The gun or the cross: Which is the source of true freedom? Which is the path to a life that is fully human and fully alive? For those who live at the heart of empire, who are born into power and privilege denied to others because of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or national origin, the gun guarantees the status quo. For those denied power and privilege, the gun represents the desire to seize control, to upend the status quo, and to replace the overlords.
Good Friday poses a choice: Do we put our trust in the power of redemptive violence (the belief that peace can be gained through violence) or the power of redemptive suffering (the belief that peace becomes possible through the practice of reconciliation and unconditional love at personal cost)?
The NRA and the military-industrial complex spend millions of dollars lobbying for the virtues of redemptive violence. But the way of the cross, practiced by believers for over two-thousand years, has thwarted the plans of armies and empires. The cross also reminds us that victory does not come without costs, and those costs must be borne by those who pick up their cross to follow Jesus. Those who trust in the gun are prepared to kill and destroy to achieve victory. Those who embrace the way of the cross are prepared to sacrifice their lives to achieve victory.
What would it mean to pick up your cross and follow Jesus?
This reflection appeared in Embracing Possibilities: Reflections for Lent, published by Pax Christi USA in 2014.
I enjoyed this excellent prayer study on the gun versus the cross. I didn’t grow up here in the US and there fore didn’t have the need to have a gun for “safety reasons ideology”. My kids never thought to have the need for a gun in the house. Unfortunately my daughter’s friend living in the “wilds” (foothills of California) is teaching her how to use a gun and have target practice, She is now convinced a gun will provide her more safety and is thinking about owing one. The abyss between those who trust in the gun and those who believe the gun brings more violence into our society has widened. More so after four years of being bullied on the national level by a crazed wannabe dictator trying to pull all the power towards him. As the article points out “the gun represents the desire to seize control, to upend the status quo, and to replace the overlords”. It is “us against them” and “in gun we trust” more than ever.
So true Lenard I do hope that your daughter will see guns for what they really are, ‘killing machines’. People who hold them dear are identifying with the cowboy airman character in the movie Dr Strangelove who rode the bomb downward showing a love affair with death dealing weapons. Thanks for your comments. ☘️
What a challenge to constantly and consistently live the way of the cross. Patience, humility, and forgiveness-when lived as who we are-are so strong. We may not have these perfected, but we must allow these as part of our being. When doubts arise, look at a likeness of the crucified Jesus or contemplate the image. Know His suffering and His love. Know that He is with us and will keep us on the path. Peace!