In the center of Christianity stands the cross of Christ. The Apostle Paul defines the whole gospel as "the word of the cross." Both the Christian message and the Christian life are cruciform, bearing the shape of the cross. Thus we cannot avoid speaking about the cross, directly or indirectly, throughout the year. But during Lent, and especially on Good Friday, we try to keep silent and let the cross speak its word to us. We are not commissioned to trim and hew the cross to suit our desires, much less to approach it with maudlin sentimentality, weeping with the daughters of Jerusalem over the innocent Sufferer. Nor are we allowed to be mere spectators of Jesus’ suffering and death. When the cross speaks, it reveals our own involvement both in its tragedy and its victory. It brings us unde…