But with Christ, we have access in a one-to-one relationship

There is a sacred depth in the words of Bono, the poet-musician who has long carried faith like a fire within his art. He once said, “But with Christ, we have access in a one-to-one relationship, for, as in the Old Testament, it was more one of worship and awe, a vertical relationship. The New Testament, on the other hand, we look across at a Jesus who looks familiar, horizontal. The combination is what makes the Cross.” In this vision, Bono unveils the mystery of divine connection — the union of reverence and intimacy, heaven and earth, divinity and humanity — joined together at the center of the Cross. It is a meditation both poetic and theological, for it reveals the shape of love itself.

The origin of this truth lies in the transformation of human relationship with God throughout sacred history. In the Old Testament, man stood in awe before the Almighty — distant, transcendent, wrapped in cloud and thunder. God’s presence dwelt in temples and tabernacles, and only priests dared to approach the holy of holies. This was the vertical relationship, where man looked upward with trembling reverence, knowing that the divine was high and beyond comprehension. Worship was offered, sacrifices made, and the human heart bowed low beneath the majesty of the Creator.

But then came the New Testament, when the Eternal Word became flesh and dwelt among us. No longer did man look only upward, for God Himself stooped downward and walked beside him. In Jesus, the divine became familiar, the infinite took on a human face. The Lord who once thundered from Sinai now spoke gently on the shores of Galilee. The One who was unapproachable now ate with sinners and comforted the broken. This was the horizontal relationship, where love flowed across — from heart to heart, from one soul to another. Humanity could finally look across, not just up, and see the face of God reflected in compassion.

The Cross is where these two dimensions meet — where heaven touches earth, and earth reaches heaven. The vertical beam stretches upward, symbolizing reverence, obedience, and divine majesty; the horizontal beam extends outward, embodying love, relationship, and shared humanity. At the intersection stands Christ — the bridge between awe and affection, justice and mercy, God and man. Bono’s words remind us that true faith is not one without the other. To only look upward is to know reverence without intimacy; to only look outward is to love without holiness. It is the union of both — the worship of heaven and the fellowship of humanity — that creates the shape of salvation.

Consider the life of Francis of Assisi, a man who embodied this sacred balance. He revered God with the trembling awe of the prophets, yet he also saw Christ in every beggar, bird, and brother. His prayers rose to heaven like incense, yet his hands touched the wounds of the poor. In him, the vertical and horizontal met — a living cross in motion, reflecting divine love in human form. Through such lives, the world sees what Bono describes: the miracle of a God who is both exalted above and present within.

To walk in this truth is to live between two postures — worship and relationship. The soul must look upward in reverence, lest it forget the holiness of the One it serves. But it must also look outward in compassion, lest it forget that this same God became man for the sake of love. The faithful heart must bow and embrace, must pray and act, must love God deeply and love people fiercely. Only when both directions are honored does life form the sacred geometry of the Cross.

Let this be the lesson for all generations: do not worship a distant God, nor reduce the divine to mere friendship. Seek instead the harmony of both. Stand in awe before the heavens, but also walk with tenderness among men. Speak to God as Father, but never forget He is also Lord. For in this balance lies the fullness of faith — the vertical that lifts the spirit, and the horizontal that stretches the heart.

Thus, the Cross is not only a symbol of death, but the architecture of divine relationship — the meeting point of God’s majesty and mercy. To carry it daily is to live as Christ lived: reaching upward in devotion and outward in love. And when these two meet in the life of a believer, the world once again beholds the true shape of redemption — the Cross made living in flesh and soul.