(The Nationalist, 7 February 2003)
Every cross, or crucifix, has four arms: one up, one to the left, one to the right and one down. These can be taken, in a way, as expressing four essential relationships of human life.
We have a relationship with God. This is symbolized by the upward arm of the cross.
We have a relationship with people. This is symbolized by the right arm of the cross.
We have a relationship with ourselves. This is symbolized by the left arm of the cross.
We have a relationship with nature. This is symbolized by the downward arm of the cross which points to the earth.
Those four relationships are an inseparable part of everyday life. They are also linked to each other. They constantly interact. For example, how we relate to people is a good barometer of our relationship to God. And it also tells us a lot about how we relate to ourselves, because we see others as we see ourselves. For instance, if we have a healthy self-respect we will probably respect other people also, and the converse is true, too. And how we relate to nature tells us whether we are at home in the world, seeing it as a partner in whose life we share, and not as a mere instrument. This can apply, for instance, to our body, which is the part of nature most intimate and immediate to us.
The four arms meet at the centre, where the figure of Christ is. He is the point of convergence where the four relationships meet. He is the reference point, the go-between, the bridge that links them. And in him those four relationships were fully integrated in harmony during his life. His relationship with God his Father was one of self-giving. He said, ‘I do only the things that please him’. His relationship with people was that he entered fully into the human condition with all its limitations except sin. He became one with us. His relationship with himself – yes, it is possible to speak of a relationship with oneself – was that he was self-possessed in all circumstances. And his relationship was nature was a healing, calming one. He healed the sick, he calmed the stormy sea.
A glance at a cross can bring these thoughts together in a prayer without words.