Broken Crosses

By Timothy Brunk / 20 April 2026

The New York Times reported on 20 April 2026 that an Israeli soldier in Lebanon sledgehammered a statue of a crucified Jesus. The story was accompanied by a photograph of the soldier caught in the act. The Times quoted Prime Minister Benjamin expressing “regret for any hurt caused ‘to believers in Lebanon and around the world’” and promising that the Israeli Defense Forces would “take appropriately harsh disciplinary action against the offender.”

Civilian structures of all kinds have been targeted in Gaza, Israel, Lebanon, Sudan, Ukraine, Russia . . . the abhorrent list goes on. For Christians, a striking feature of this assault is that it was directed at an image of Jesus on a cross. For Christians, Jesus is the one in whom “all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross” (Col. 1:19-20, NRSV). The Catechism of the Catholic Church hails the crucifixion as the “supreme proof” of Christ’s love for humanity.

I lament the actions of this soldier. Even more, though, I wonder about the ways in which the sins of each and every one of us trample on God’s love for us.

For a meditation on “Broken Crosses,” I invite readers to listen to this song by Denise Pyles.