For this reflection we choose a word that at first may elicit discomfort and repulsion: cross. However, it is one of the most frequently used words by Christians; the sign of the cross is in fact one of the first things that are taught to children. The word “cross” puts us immediately on the defensive …

The key words we have examined until now were all “positive”, that is, liberating concepts. We have not considered “negative” words that also form part of our daily vocabulary like “sadness”, “anxiety”, “desperation”, “crisis”. The Christian key words are positive even when they concern negative realities, because the negative realities are taken up and transformed …