The Power of the Cross

By Fr. Mike Paraniuk
HCP columnist

There are two moments I dread the most because the pain is so great: To tell a parent their child has passed and to help a surviving parent tell their child mommy or daddy is gone. 

Things I have heard little children say when they realize mom or dad won't be coming home: "Mommy, you can't throw a football like daddy does." "Daddy, do you know how to make my birthday cake? Mommy always did that." 

And many children will utter this gut-wrenching question to the remaining parent, "Are you going to die? I'll be all alone." Children need lots of loving assurance they will still be cared for. 

A bullet from a hateful man has thrust Erika Kirk into a vortex of pain. She must raise their two young children all alone without the love of her life, Charlie, by her side. She will be too busy to grieve.  

Fortunately, their son is only 1 year old. Sadly he will know his father only through stories. But their daughter is 3. She will feel the loss of daddy. Erika must tend to her daughter's tears in the midst of her own. How will Erika cope with this tragic loss? Who will comfort her? Erika showed the world the source of her strength to endure.

She was riding in the back of a car bringing the body of her slain husband home to Arizona. Erika lowered the window to show onlookers a simple metal cross she held in her hand. It was a gift Erika gave to Charlie when they were dating. 

She said, "You're a Christian. Why don't you wear a cross?" 

He said that he didn't like to wear jewelry. But there was a time when he felt the weight of the world lay heavily on his heart. That is when Charlie put the cross necklace around his neck. He never took it off until the day a bullet pierced his neck that wore the cross. Paramedics removed it as they tried to save his life. Erika now wears Charlie's cross as a sign of faith that God is with her. She is not alone.

Jesus on His Cross has transformed our crosses into an opening for God to pour forth His Grace. Grace is God's Love in action. Through the broken body and pierced Heart of Jesus flowed God's Power to strengthen you in your weakness, to walk by your side in the darkness, and to offer you hope that the empty tomb of Resurrection has won victory over all suffering in your life.

The Power of the Cross makes love stronger than hate, empowers forgiveness to free you from revenge, and restores hope that your sufferings are not meaningless but a force moving God to love you even more.

A mother of three children was asked which child do you love the most? She answered, "I love all my children but differently depending on what they need. When one of my three children is sick, I love that child more. When one of my children is in pain, I love that child more. When one of my children is lost, I love that child more. And when one of my children does something wrong, I love that child more.

God loves you the most when you hurt. I know that many people are hurting with the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Please remember this spiritual truth. The unjust death of Jesus on the Cross revealed that God is supreme. No one has more power than God. His Word is law. The Blood of Jesus established a New Covenant between God and His people. 

What did Jesus say from the Cross? “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34.) Jesus forgave all those who hurt Him – the Jewish leaders who called for His death, the Roman soldiers who spit, whipped, crowned with thorns, nailed and executed Him, the angry mob who demanded His crucifixion. 

A true follower of Jesus must do the same. I pray that Erika Kirk will find mercy in her heart for the man who unjustly took away her husband and father to their children. The very reason why Jesus went to His Cross was to reveal the Merciful Heart of His Father. Every time you forgive, God will love you even more. That's the power of the Cross. Peace...Fr. Mike