Christianity is full of paradoxes. One of them is the Cross, which has been transformed from a symbol of disgrace into a symbol of honour. In the Roman Empire, dying on the cross was a brutal punishment reserved for slaves and lowly criminals; however, through Jesus Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection, it became a symbol of hope and love.
On 14 September, we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. It is a manifold commemoration: that of the discovery of the True Cross by St Helena on her pilgrimage to Jerusalem in the year 326 AD; the dedication of the church of the Holy Sepulchre built by her son, the first Christian Roman Emperor, Constantine the Great, and consecrated on 13 September 335 AD; and the public veneration of the Cross there the following day.
Much later, Emperor Heraclius won back from the Persian Emperor Khosrow II the True Cross that the latter had captured on the occasion of his conquest of Jerusalem in 614 AD. The Byzantine emperor elevated the said Cross at Hagia Sophia, Constantinople, and later brought it to Jerusalem in 629 AD.
Considering the central role of the Cross in the Christian faith, the Sign of the Cross has become a distinctive gesture of devotion. Christian households usually have a crucifix (a cross with the body of Christ on it) hanging on the wall. ‘Exaltação da Cruz’ (Exaltation of the Cross, in Portuguese) is even taken as a baptism name. All of which speaks of how the Cross is exalted above all other symbols in Christianity.
This year, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross falls on a Sunday. This happens on an average once in seven years. Hence, a new set of Readings on the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time of this year.
In the First Reading (Num 21: 4b-9) we see the punishment meted out to the Israelites who had rebelled against God instead of being grateful to Him for rescuing them from slavery in Egypt. They were bitten by fiery serpents, and perished. So, God instructed Moses to create a bronze serpent figurine and hoist it on a pole or staff; whoever looked upon the bronze serpent, survived.
In reality, the bronze serpent was the prefiguration of the Lord Himself, who would hang on the Cross for our sake centuries later. This is clear from Jesus’ words to Nicodemus in the Gospel text (Jn 3:13-17): ‘No one has gone up to heaven except the One who has come down from Heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.’
The Ascension would not have happened without His Passion, Death, and Resurrection, all of which was an act of loving reparation for the sins of humankind: ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life.’
The Gospel text further states in no uncertain terms that ‘God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.’
St Paul makes this clear in today’s Second Reading (Phil 2: 6-11) when he says that Christ ‘emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, He humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’
Therefore, we must never feel embarrassed by the Cross. In fact, we must put it back where it belongs: in the Catholic educational institutions that have removed it in the name of ‘political correctness’ and in the clinics and hospitals that have replaced it with the Rod of Asclepius.[i] We must bring back the solid crucifix into our ultramodern churches that have fallen for minimalist crucifixes, or the Risen Christ with the cross in the background, or even just the Risen Christ – as though the Crucified Christ were something to be ashamed of.
Finally, today and always, we must make it a point to exalt the Cross in our homes and in society at large. In concrete terms, we must take up our cross and follow Him (cf. Mt 16: 24). The Cross is the ultimate example of love. We must make it a point to exalt the Cross in our hearts: it is our badge of honour.
[i] The Rod of Asclepius symbol is a medical symbol depicting a single snake coiled around a staff or rod, representing healing, medicine, and the Greek god of healing, Asclepius.
Thank you Oscar for the most appropriate post , God bless you.