Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on September 14 we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, recalls three events:
1. The finding of the True Cross by Saint Helena.
2. The dedication of churches built by Emperor Constantine on the site of the Holy Sepulcher and Mount Calvary.
3. The restoration of the True Cross to Jerusalem in AD 629 by the Byzantine emperor Heraclius, after it had fallen into the hands of the Persian Emperor Chosroes II in the AD 614 Sasanian conquest of Jerusalem.
So many of Protestant brothers and sisters would always ask why we, Catholics honor the cross. The cross was a form of death penalty, a punishment for criminals, rebels and others. Yes, the cross becomes a failure, a piece of wood, for many Jews a symbol of shame and disgrace, and meaningless but with Christ on it, the cross becomes meaningful and salvation because he saves us from shame and disgrace of sins. The Cross represents Christ's victory over death.
Paradox of the Cross. “Anyone who is hanged is a curse of God”. (Deuteronomy 21:23). St. Paul says, “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 Corinthians 1:18). The Holy Catholic Church teaches that the honor paid to the image passes to the prototype; and he who adores the image, adores the person whom it represents.
Dear brothers and sisters, we always begin and end any liturgical services with the sign of the cross. A bishop or a priest blesses people or places or things or dedicate them to God with the sign of the cross. We always enter a church by making the sign of the cross. Whether we are aware or not, the cross has become part of our everyday life. Let us do it consciously by reflecting the true meaning of it. This could also, be a great day to ensure that there is a cross or crucifix in our home, which is an old Catholic tradition.
Let us Pray: - Bless us who find salvation in the cross of Christ; May we always recognize his glory in the weak, suffering and condemned of the world. We ask this through Christ, crucified and exalted, who is Lord forever and ever. Amen.
Fr. John Samuel