*Originally posted on my previous Substack last year*
In three separate places around the world if you dive into the sea you will see Jesus Christ. Off the Italian Riviera, off the coast of St. George’s in Grenada, and off Key Largo in Florida stand statues of Jesus Christ offering his peace in the chaos of the sea.
If you’ve read my previous article, The Sea Will Be No More, you know that in Scripture the sea is often used to represent chaos. What a beautiful act it was of sculptor Guido Galletti to sculpt a statue of Christ that would show that Christ is not far from the chaos, but rather is right in the midst of it offering peace and giving a benediction - a good word.
The fact that Christ is present in the chaos is hard for me to remember at times. It’s also hard for me to not hear it as a mere platitude at other times. Yet, it is true nonetheless. Christ is most often found in the places where we least expect him. He was born in a stable, from backwater Nazareth, and took his throne upon a wooden cross. Yet, we, or at least I, often forget this. When we feel easygoing and serene, it’s easy to imagine Christ is there. But in the chaos? Well, that’s where the peace of Christ truly shows up.
Christ is not foreign to the abyss. It’s the first place he went after his crucifixion. He descended into hell. He preached the good news and brought up those who were trapped. Because of his love for us, he shows up in our hells too.
He did not stay in the abyss nor will he stay in ours… but he will stay as long as it takes to raise us up with him. Christ does not leave us in our chaos. He stays with us. Sometimes he speaks peace to the chaos. Other times he speaks peace to us. And some times, when we don’t see any of that, we are called to rest in knowing that he himself is peace. As darkness cannot extinguish the light of even one flame, chaos cannot extinguish the peace that is Christ.
As one who follows Christ, I, and you if you call yourself a Christian, are called to be peacemakers. If we are pushing others into the abyss, we are Antichrists. Rather, it is our call to follow after Christ into the abyss to lift others out of it. We are called to love. We are called to make peace. We as the Church, especially in America, need to take a look in the mirror to see if we are reflecting Christ and his love for the least of these, or if we are reflecting the Antichrist of the Empire’s greed for power.
You and I have a choice before us. Life or death. If we dive deep into the abyss with Christ to bring life to others, we will receive life too. But if we cause others to fall into the abyss as we push them down in attempt to claim further up the faux ladder of power and success, we will lose our very souls.
As Christians, we know chaos will come. We know there is an abyss. However, as Christians, we also know that Christ can be found there and he will raise up those there with him. Will we follow the Christ in love of our neighbors? Or will we let our own desires drag us down?
