The Exaltation of the Holy Cross (14.09.14)
It is also a custom to go on pilgrimage to shrines in their honour, believing that God will hear and listen to our pleading there.
This practice is widely accepted by our separated brethren, whether wrongly deemed a superstitious act, or that we are honouring these images as being powerful in themselves, thus missing the point –
No – we are offering our prayers and requests to the Almighty, through the intercession of our Our Lady – His Mother and ours – or perhaps calling on our favourite saint to “put in a word for us”.
But, what about the Cross – in prominence in every Catholic church and central to our belief, so much so, that it is exalted to having a special day set aside in the liturgical calendar for honouring it and reflecting on its meaning.
Yes, the Cross is much more than a pious souvenir.
It is a constant reminder of the lengths Christ went to in order to save us and redeem us by willingly paying the price for our sinfulness, suffering the unspeakable suffering of crucifixion and death on a cross out of unconditional love for each one of us.
Death by crucifixion has always been considered the most barbaric of punishments – even too gruesome for the worst of criminals – and surely not worthy of remembrance to the extent that we Christians keep the Cross as the pinnacle of our Faith!
Way back as far as 63 B.C. a Roman orator and philosopher, Cicero, strongly condemned the practice as being uncivilised and fruitless.
Years later, when St. Paul set out on his missionary journeys, what a complete turn-around to hear him say:
“While the Jews demand miracles, and the Greeks look for wisdom, we are preaching a crucified Christ. God’s folly is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than any human strength.” (1 Cor. 1:20-25)
For Cicero, the crucifixion of a Roman citizen was a sure sign of barbarity; for Paul, the crucifixion of a Palestinian Jew was the essence of his message of hope. It was a sign of supreme love / a sign of the folly of love / a sign of the lengths love will go to. That love enabled Paul to face his own execution in Rome later.
The cross as a sign of hope is a paradox. Death and hope seem unsuitable companions.
We say : “Where there’s life there’s hope” and it is our hope that gives shape and direction to our lives. However, hoping is always a risk, because it looks to what is not here. It is then that our Faith is tested – whether we trust in the God of Love to guide us through all the ups and downs of life, and bring us safely home at last, or whether we give in to the temptation to give up the struggle because of the suffering we might have to endure along the way – as did the Israelites who gave up hope because of the pain that went with their freedom in the wilderness.
The lesson we need to learn through all this is about the folly of the cross – exemplified by the crucified God who pays the price for our freedom. Jesus does what so many want to avoid. He suffers so that others might be free. He is willing to be rejected, despised, spurned, mocked, broken, crucified in order to save us from bearing the responsibility for our sins. He, the sinless – pure and spotless victim – pays the price for all our sins, so that we could be saved and live with Him for all eternity in heaven.
Jesus does not cling to his equality with God, but becomes a servant. He enters the deprivation of humanity and the forsakenness of death. And God raised him up and gave him the name which is above all names. In the resurrection, hope is born again.
That is why we hope. It is born out of love. Christian hope is born out of the death of Jesus.
In the cross there can be new life – life with Christ.
So, as we bow in silent adoration before the image of Christ crucified, we humbly pray:
“Thank you, Lord, for loving me this much.”