Bernard's poem "The Sacred Head" reminds me of a lot of the classic hymns. I feel like songs nowadays speak of the cross only for what happened because of Christ's death and often forget what Christ actually went through in order for us to have salvation. It's easy for me to skip over the terrible suffering Christ experienced and just dwell on Him rising. Bernard vividly describing the piercings and blood in the same stanzas as describing the joy he experiences because of that pain really puts the term "sacrifice" into perspective. This could be just a me thing, and it could be just a me being a new Christian thing, but either way, reading this poem renewed my reverence for the cross.
I commented on Nathanael and Alex's posts.
The Christian should never look at the cross and not be moved... for in it lies the sufferings, the literal passions, of Christ. Yes, delivery from sin should lead to joy, but His suffering should never be forgotten. It is rare, in my experiences, to look at the cross and not be moved towards tears, be it from joy, shame, mourning, or praise. It is an emotion beyond words.
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