by Howard Hain

Jean Francois de Troy (1679-1752), Christ carrying the Cross, study

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

—John 19:30

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The Cross is merely an instrument.

For there is nothing inherently painful about the trunk of a tree.

It is not the Cross itself that crucifies.

But there is something about the Cross that leads us either to death or to life.

It is our relationship with that piece of “wood” that ultimately colors our perception of earthly existence and its inherent sufferings.

And Christ shows us the way.

For there has never been a man more at peace than Christ Jesus upon the Cross—for there has never been a man more aligned to the will of The Father.

Yes, from the eyes of the world it was complete chaos. It…