Dear Parishioners and Friends,
I have to be honest, but I just don’t understand the current trend of tattoos. People cover their arms, legs, faces (and probably other parts) with various bits of “body art.” Some of them are quite artistic, and probably cost quite a bit of money, as well as pain. But as I once heard one observer comment: “Once you’ve got it, you’ve got it.”
While doing some research on the internet in preparation for this letter, I came across a web page titled “101 Great Cross Tattoo Ideas For [the] Back” – a seemingly endless series of photos of various types of crosses permanently tattooed to people’s backs.
Several years ago, while taking a walk along the Hudson River in New York City on a sunny afternoon in early July, I spotted a young couple walking ahead of me. The young man, who was shirtless on that hot day, sported a large tattoo on his back similar to the one pictured here.
I managed to catch up to the couple and told them that I couldn’t help but notice the fellow’s tattoo. I introduced myself and told him that his tattoo of a large wooden cross on his back reminded me of that Sunday’s Gospel in which Jesus said: “Whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.”
We ended up having a very pleasant conversation, and the young man, probably in his mid-20’s, told me that getting that particular tattoo was a reminder to him that he should try to live a good Christian life, and that the cross on his back would be a life-long and literal way of “carrying his cross.”
Although I personally feel that a person doesn’t need to go to such drastic measures in order to live the Gospel teachings of Jesus, I understood what the young man was saying, and I admired his desire to have the cross on his back as his own form of witness.
The message that our Gospel reading this weekend offers us is that being a disciple of Jesus is no joyride. Sometimes it requires radical disengagement from people or things who might get in the way.
But not everyone is called to a life of complete ascetic detachment, either. It’s more a matter of setting one’s priorities in the proper order. This is a teaching that Jesus often emphasized: putting God first in our lives, and living a life that reflects our love for God as well as love for our neighbor.
Jesus also spoke on several occasions about the need to take up one’s cross and follow him, just as he took up his cross and walked the hill of Calvary. That means sacrificing one’s self for the good of others, especially those who might not appreciate our efforts. Even the simplest things we do for others can have great meaning and value. What and how we do something is one thing; why we do it is what gives it meaning.
In the sixth chapter of St. Paul ‘s letter to the Romans, we find the reason for why we are called to live for others through the cross of Christ. Here, Paul reminds us of our baptism into the death of Christ. “If we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him,” Paul writes. But this isn’t just about the future; it has serious implications for the present. Living and dying with Christ implies that we must be willing to live as he did: for the sake of others.
We do this whenever we give ourselves to him through serving others, by giving our time and talents to others, especially when some form of sacrifice is involved.
We don’t necessarily need to get a tattoo on our backs, or even wear a cross around our necks, or wear medals to show others that we are Christian disciples. They are simply reminders that we should be who we say we are. Our very lives should be the outward sign of our inner commitment to Christ.
As we celebrate July Fourth this coming week, let us remember the concluding words of the Declaration of Independence: “With a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”
Blessings on your week ahead!
Fr. Tim Shreenan, O.F.M.Pastor