Do we recognize the crucified Christ in our midst? How do we respond? Br. Sullivan McCormick, SJ, reflects on recognizing Christ in those suffering in our midst. Based on the readings for Sunday, October 17, 2021.
Where is the crucified Christ in our midst?
Hi, I’m Br. Sullivan McCormick and this is my One-Minute Reflection.
After the murder of George Floyd, an act of solidarity and remembrance arose in the form of kneeling for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. After reflecting on that act of solidarity and his death, I was struck by how his death bore the traces of Christ’s Passion, a Passion prophesied by the first reading in Isaiah. Here were two men both mocked, tortured, and murdered by state violence.
So how do we respond? St. Ignatius offers a spiritual response rooted in praying with Christ’s Passion. When we see Christ crucified in our midst we can ask for the grace to feel anguish, sorrow, tears, and grief. This gives us heart knowledge instead of just relying on our intellect. This is the interior feeling Ignatius talks about which can lead us to conversion, so that when we see Christ crucified in our midst we can say, “I am responsible, I am my brother’s keeper.”
