FEAST OF EXALTATION OF THE CROSS 

(Numbers 21: 4-9; Philippians 2:6-11; John 3:13-17)

We celebrate this feast of the Exaltation of the Cross for two reasons: (1) to understand the history of the discovery of the True Cross and (2) to appreciate better the importance of the symbol and reality of Christ’s sacrificial love, namely, the cross in the daily life of every Christian.

According to a reliable legend, when the Body of Jesus and those of the two thieves were removed from their crosses, the disciples buried the body of Jesus in the tomb donated by Nicodemus. As it was customary, the crosses of Jesus and the two thieves were buried in a pit dug close to the tomb. They remained there unnoticed till the fourth century. In AD 312, while the pagan commander Constantine the Great was in combat with Maxentius for the throne of the Roman Empire, some of his Christian soldiers suggested that he pray to the God of the Christians to help him in his battle. In answer to his prayer, the sign of a luminous cross appeared in the sky with the words “IN THIS SIGN YOU WILL CONQUER" inscribed on it. Following this, Constantine won the battle over Maxentius. Indebted to the God of Christians for his victory, Constantine became a Christian catechumen. The Emperor issued the Edict of Milan (in 313), guaranteeing Christians religious tolerance throughout the Roman Empire. He declared Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire and commanded that the sign of the cross be placed on all the Roman standards and on the shields of all the soldiers. On September 14, AD 327, a team of excavators, led by Constantine’s mother St. Helena, found below the temple of Venus at Calvary the True Cross on which Jesus had been crucified. The cross of Christ was identified by the miraculous healing given to a terminally sick lady when touched by the cross of Jesus. In 355, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was established in Jerusalem to commemorate St. Helena’s discovery of the true cross of Jesus.

A cross is a symbol of suffering and shame. Yet God turned that cross into the means by which you and I may find our salvation.  Jesus did not die as a hero or a martyr. His death was a total failure on the cross. His executioners rejoiced and they celebrated his death.  Yet Christianity had, and still has, at its center this most awful symbol of death and disgrace. The feast of Exaltation of the Holy Cross, then is an invitation to us to learn to appreciate the real message of the cross in our Christian life. 

The cross in itself was a total failure for Jesus. But we honor the cross because on the cross he saved us. It is through the cross of Calvary that God is fully revealed. It is through the cross of Calvary that we come to know of God's love.

 The cross of Jesus Christ is the place where atonement happened; where Jesus became a substitute for man. Christ died where man should have been, so that man may be where God is.

The cross is the work of God for salvation. Jesus disclosed this as being necessary because the disciples needed to understand the place of the cross in the economy of God's redemptive purposes. "The Son of Man must suffer” Jesus said: It is the key to the self-disclosure of Jesus and to the plan of God for salvation for sinners.

A pattern of self denial should be present in the life of the believer to be part of Jesus’ salvation. The cross can be the pain we undergo in our lives or the pain we suffer for others. It is the sanctifying pain involved in sharing our blessings sacrificially with others. It is the pain involved in controlling our evil tendencies in an attempt to attain a higher degree of holiness.  It is also the pain involved in standing with Jesus and gladly following him even if that means scorn and humiliation from the rest of the world. St.Paul identified himself fully with the cross of Christ and so he said: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Gal.2:20).When we have fully identified ourselves with the cross of Christ, we should remind ourselves of its implications by signing ourselves with the cross. As soon as we wake up in the morning the first thing we should do, be signing ourselves with cross and ensuring that the rest of the day is going to be sanctified. Before we start driving to work or cooking food, do that again and remind ourselves that we are redeemed by Christ’s cross and so nothing is going to work against me. Of course sometimes we may be ashamed to do it before others. But then remember the message of Paul again: For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Cor.1:18). For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength (1 Cor.1:25).

As we continue with the celebration of this Mass, let us ask for the grace to be reminded of the price Jesus paid for our salvation on the cross and our call to share in the sufferings of Christ when we wear or sign ourselves with the cross. And may the cross of Christ always be our protection from all the evil influence and evil thoughts and habits in our everyday life. Amen.