The Exaltation of the Holy Cross (14.09.14)<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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 –
\nNo – we are offering our prayers and requests to the Almighty, through the intercession of our Our Lady \u2013 His Mother and ours \u2013 or perhaps calling on our favourite saint to \u201cput in a word for us\u201d.<\/p>\n
But, what about the Cross \u2013 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.<\/p>\n
Yes, the Cross is much more than a pious souvenir.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Death by crucifixion has always been considered\u00a0 the most barbaric of punishments\u00a0 –\u00a0 even too gruesome for the worst of criminals \u2013 and surely not worthy of remembrance to the extent that we Christians keep the Cross as the pinnacle of our Faith!<\/p>\n
Way back as far as 63 B.C. a Roman orator and philosopher, Cicero, strongly \u00a0condemned the practice as being uncivilised and fruitless.<\/p>\n
Years later, when St. Paul set out on his missionary journeys, what a complete turn-around to hear him say:<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile the Jews demand miracles, and the Greeks look for wisdom, we are preaching a crucified Christ.\u00a0\u00a0 God\u2019s folly is wiser than human wisdom, and God\u2019s weakness is stronger than any human strength.\u201d\u00a0 (1 Cor. 1:20-25)<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0\u00a0 It was a sign of supreme love \/ a sign of the folly of love \/ a sign of the lengths love will go to.\u00a0 That love enabled Paul to face his own execution in Rome later.<\/p>\n
The cross as a sign of hope is a paradox.\u00a0 Death and hope seem unsuitable companions.<\/p>\n
We say :\u00a0 \u201cWhere there\u2019s life there\u2019s hope<\/em>\u201d and it is our hope that gives shape and direction to our lives.\u00a0\u00a0 However, hoping is always a risk, because it looks to what is not here.\u00a0\u00a0 It is then that our Faith is tested \u2013 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\u00a0 \u2013 as did the Israelites who gave up hope because of the pain that went \u00a0with their freedom in the wilderness.<\/p>\n The lesson we need to learn through all this is about the folly of the cross \u2013 exemplified by the crucified God who pays the price for our freedom.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Jesus does what so many want to avoid.\u00a0 He suffers so that others might be free.\u00a0\u00a0 He is willing to be rejected, despised, spurned, mocked, broken, crucified\u00a0 in order to save us from bearing the responsibility for our sins.\u00a0 He, the sinless \u2013 pure and spotless victim \u2013 pays the price for all our sins, so that we could be saved and live with Him for all eternity in heaven.<\/p>\n Jesus does not cling to his equality with God, but becomes a servant.\u00a0\u00a0 He enters the deprivation of humanity and the forsakenness of death.\u00a0 And God raised him up and gave him the name which is above all names.\u00a0 In the resurrection, hope is born again.<\/p>\n That is why we hope.\u00a0 It is born out of love.\u00a0 Christian hope is born out of the death of Jesus.<\/p>\n In the cross there can be new life \u2013 life with Christ.<\/p>\n So, as we bow in silent adoration before the image of Christ crucified, we humbly pray: The Exaltation of the Holy Cross (14.09.14) THE EXALTATION OF THE CROSS:It is a normal custom for us, Christians, to hold in reverence statues , relics and religious souvenirs, some of which are publicly displayed in our churches throughout the … Continue reading
\n\u201cThank you, Lord, for loving me this much.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"