"If we think of the Crucifixion only in historical terms we lose the reference of the symbol immediately to ourselves. Jesus left his mortal body on the cross, the sign of the earth, to go to the Father with whom he was one. We, similarly, are to identify with the eternal life that is within us. The symbol at the same time tells us of God's willing acceptance of the cross - that is to say, of participation in the trials and sorrows of human life in the world. So that He is here within us - not by way of a fall or a mistake, but with rapture and joy. Thus the cross has a dual sense - one, our going to the divine, and the other, of the divine coming to us. It is a true cross-ing.
"What has always been basic to resurrection, or Easter, is crucifixion. If you want to resurrect, you must have crucifixion. Too many interpretations of the Crucifixion have failed to emphasize that. They emphasize the calamity of the event. And if you emphasize calamity, then you look for someone to blame. That is why people have blamed the Jews for it. But it is not a calamity if it leads to new life. Through the Crucifixion we are unshelled, we are able to be born to resurrection. That is not a calamity. We must look freshly at this so that its symbolism can be sensed.
"St. Augustine speaks of going to the Cross as a bridegroom to his bride. There is an affirmation here. In the Prado is a great painting by Titian of Simon of Cyrene as he willingly helps jesus with the cross. The picture captures the human participation, the free, voluntary participation we all must have in the Easter-Passover mystery."
Joseph Campbell, Thou Art That, p.112 - 113
