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You know the day. It’s 8 a.m. and you’ve got upper division World Etymology. Pull on some jeans. Throw on a shirt. Grab a hat. Off you go. You might need some sandals, too.
The professor does the quick hello and asks how everyone is doing. Without even thinking, you offer the customary head nod and smile. Pull out a piece of paper. Throw open your book. Grab a pen. Off you go.
By the end of the two hours, you have that strange ache deep inside you, maybe even some grumblings. It’s almost as if your stomach is calling for help. Arrive at the cafeteria. The routine is so similar you don’t even have to think. Pull out a bagel. Throw on some cream cheese. Grab a glass of milk. Off you go.
As you sit down at a table with friends, you offer the expected smile. Add a head nod for good measure. “How are you?” The response is always the same: “Good,” “Fine,” or “Well.” Why should it be any different? The person who asked doesn’t really care. In fact, who does care? Not the professor, not the classmate, not the friend.
Where has our authenticity gone? It seems as if we don’t even know what it means to be authentic anymore.
Just a few days ago you made one of those quick runs to Ralphs for shampoo and hair goop. Remember? What about the person at the cash register? How often do we let the people at the registers become nothing more than the machinery of society? After all, they are part of the beautifully well-oiled machine that allows us to acquire, to purchase, and to consume. It’s the American dream, isn’t it?
What about the man at Jack in the Box? You know English isn’t his first language, and for some reason that’s annoying. Custodians? Telemarketers? Mechanics?
You know who we’re talking about. We strip ourselves of our humanity all the time. We let our clothing, our smiles and our conversation fillers hide our very nature as humans. We let our busy schedules, our greed and our “priorities” strip other people of their fundamental humanity. It happens all the time.
So what about that familiar image of Christ on the Cross? We believe that the Cross is empowering. The pain, the agony, the glory, yes, even the beauty of the Cross speak to us about being authentic, about being human.
In fact, we suggest that there is nothing more human than the Cross of Christ. A man tortured and hanged to die for all to see, suffering in ways we can never imagine. This is real, this is authentic. And if we are to take the Cross seriously, then we must take our humanity seriously.
God, through the Cross, broke himself and poured himself out for his beloved creation, for us. He gave of himself. Authenticity.
Maybe our lives would be better understood through this Cross. Our world might be shaken and things may no longer appear right side up. For the very sight of the Cross calls us to give of our lives. It calls us to pour ourselves out for that person standing behind the cash register. It calls us to be real, to be who God made us to be. That’s authenticity.
True authenticity can only be found at the Cross. Although we may glance in its direction or see it from afar, when was the last time you took a journey directly to the Cross?
Submitted February 26, 2004
MALIBU, CA
