HOMILY FOR THE FEAST OF THE EXALTATION OF THE CROSS

 

THE FEAST OF THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS : THE INSTRUMENT OF OUR SALVATION

COLLECTA (OPENING PRAYER)

O God, who willed that your Only Begotten Son should undergo the Cross to save the human race, grant, we pray, that we, who have known his mystery on earth, may merit the grace of his redemption in heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

THE INSTRUMENT OF OUR SALVATION

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, celebrated every year on September 14, recalls three historical events: THE FINDING OF THE TRUE CROSS BY SAINT HELENA, THE MOTHER OF THE EMPEROR CONSTANTINE; THE DEDICATION OF CHURCHES BUILT BY CONSTANTINE ON THE SITE OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE AND MOUNT CALVARY; AND THE RESTORATION OF THE TRUE CROSS TO JERUSALEM BY THE EMPEROR HERACLIUS II. But in a deeper sense, the feast also CELEBRATES THE HOLY CROSS AS THE INSTRUMENT OF OUR SALVATION. This instrument of torture, designed to degrade the worst of criminals, became the life-giving tree that reversed Adam's Original Sin when he ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden.

This celebration is a FEAST celebrated every September 14. Both Gloria and Credo are said today. Just like Sunday Mass. Even if September 14 falls on a Sunday, it will be celebrated. The readings are: Numbers 21:4b-9; Psalm 78:1bc-2, 34-35, 36-87, 38; Philippians 2:6-11; John 3:13-17. This feast can also be called Triumph of the Cross, Elevation of the Cross, Roodmas, Holy Cross.

HISTORY OF THE FEAST OF THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS

After the death and resurrection of Christ, both the Jewish and Roman authorities in Jerusalem made efforts to obscure the Holy Sepulchre, Christ's tomb in the garden near the site of His crucifixion. The earth had been mounded up over the site, and pagan temples had been built on top of it. The Cross on which Christ had died had been hidden (tradition said) by the Jewish authorities somewhere in the vicinity.

SAINT HELENA AND THE FINDING OF THE TRUE CROSS

According to tradition, first mentioned by Saint Cyril of Jerusalem in 348AD, Saint Helena, nearing the end of her life, decided under divine inspiration to travel to Jerusalem in 326 AD to excavate the Holy Sepulchre and attempt to locate the True Cross. A Jew by the name of Judas, aware of the tradition concerning the hiding of the Cross, led those excavating the Holy Sepulchre to the spot in which it was hidden. Three crosses were found on the spot. According to one tradition, the inscription Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum ("Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews") remained attached to the True Cross. According to a more common tradition, however, the inscription was missing, and Saint Helena and Saint Macarius, the bishop of Jerusalem, assuming that one was the True Cross and the other two belonged to the thieves crucified alongside Christ, devised an experiment to determine which was the True Cross. In one version of the latter tradition, the three crosses were taken to a woman who was near death; when she touched the True Cross, she was healed. In another, the body of a dead man was brought to the place where the three crosses were found, and laid upon each cross. The True Cross restored the dead man to life. (As for the authenticity of the account, both miracles were correct. Just as in our present day, different people can give account of one thing different either as they were told or as it happened in the area where they were.)

According to the historian Rufinus, the identity of the True Cross was confirmed by a miraculous healing after St. Macarius recited this prayer: "O Lord, who by the Passion of Thine only Son on the cross, didst deign to restore salvation to mankind, and who even now hast inspired thy handmaid Helena to seek for the blessed wood to which the author of our salvation was nailed, show clearly which it was, among the three crosses, that was raised for Thy glory. Distinguish it from those which only served for a common execution. Let this woman who is now expiring return from death's door as soon as she is touched by the wood of salvation."

The date of this discovery and miracle, according to tradition, was May 3rd, 326 A.D. St. Helena (in conjunction with her Son) had a church built on the original site of Jesus' crucifixion, burial, and resurrection, known as the CHURCH OF THE SEPULCHRE. Her son Constantine dedicated this church on September 13-14 in the year 335 A.D. Even today, the Stations of the Cross in Jerusalem, or the Via Dolorosa, end at this very spot.

THE DEDICATION OF THE CHURCHES ON MOUNT CALVARY AND THE HOLY SEPULCHRE

In celebration of the discovery of the Holy Cross, Constantine ordered the construction of churches at the site of the Holy Sepulchre and on Mount Calvary. Those churches were dedicated on September 13 and 14, 335AD, and shortly thereafter the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross began to be celebrated on the latter date. The feast slowly spread from Jerusalem to other churches, until, by the year 720 AD, the celebration was universal.

THE RESTORATION OF THE TRUE CROSS TO JERUSALEM

In the early 7th century, the Persians conquered Jerusalem, and the Persian king Khosrau II captured the True Cross and took it back to Persia. After Khosrau's defeat by Emperor Heraclius II, Khosrau's own son had him assassinated in 628AD and returned the True Cross to Heraclius. In 629AD, Heraclius, having initially taken the True Cross to Constantinople, decided to restore it to Jerusalem. Tradition says that he carried the Cross on his own back, but when he attempted to enter the church on Mount Calvary, a strange force stopped him. Patriarch Zacharias of Jerusalem, seeing the emperor struggling, advised him to take off his royal robes and crown and to dress in a penitential robe instead.  Zacharias, the Bishop of Jerusalem, then said to the astonished monarch: "Consider, O Emperor, that with these triumphal ornaments you are far from resembling Jesus carrying His Cross." The Emperor then put on a penitential garb and continued the journey.

As soon as Heraclius took Zacharias' advice, he was able to carry the True Cross into the church.

For some centuries, a second feast, the Invention of the Cross, was celebrated on May 3 in the Roman and Gallican churches, following a tradition that marked that date as the day on which Saint Helena discovered the True Cross. In Jerusalem, however, the finding of the Cross was celebrated from the beginning on September 14.

WHY DO WE CELEBRATE THE FEAST OF THE HOLY CROSS?

It's easy to understand that the Cross is special because CHRIST USED IT AS THE INSTRUMENT OF OUR SALVATION. But after His Resurrection, why would Christians continue to look to the Cross?

Christ Himself offered us the answer: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me" (Luke 9:23). The point of taking up our own cross is not simply self-sacrifice; in doing so, we unite ourselves to the sacrifice of Christ on His Cross.

When we participate in the Mass, the Cross is there, too. The "unbloody sacrifice" offered on the altar is the re-presentation of Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross. When we receive the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist, we do not simply unite ourselves to Christ; we nail ourselves to the Cross, dying with Christ so that we might rise with Him.

"For the Jews require signs, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews indeed a stumbling block, and unto the Gentiles foolishness . . . " (1 Corinthians 1:22-23). Today, more than ever, non-Christians see the Cross as foolishness. What kind of Savior triumphs through death? For Christians, however, the Cross is the crossroads of history and the Tree of Life. Christianity without the Cross is meaningless: Only by uniting ourselves to Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross can we enter into eternal life.

THE FEAST DAY

The True Cross was considered a most valuable treasure of the Church and became a highly venerated object, and the feast honoring the Elevation of the Holy Cross has continually been celebrated until this day. It is celebrated on May 3rd on the old Roman calendar (the date of its discovery), and on September 14th in Jerusalem and on the new Roman calendar (the date the church was dedicated).

THE TRUE CROSS IS STOLEN

TIMELINE OF EVENTS

326 A.D.: St. Helena discovers the True Cross in Jerusalem on May 3rd.

335 A.D.: Constantine dedicates the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on September 14th.

614 A.D.: Jerusalem is invaded by the Persians who steal the True Cross.

629 A.D.: The True Cross is recovered and brought back to Jerusalem on September 14th.

VENERATING THE CROSS

The Church has a long tradition of venerating the Cross, that's why Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches always have large crucifixes in prominent places. In the Catholic Church venerating the Cross is a liturgical tradition during Holy Week. It's also why Catholic Christians and Eastern Christians keep crosses and crucifixes in their homes, usually on their wall or above their doorway.  In fact, a cross or a crucifix put in a place of honor is a sure mark of a Christian home. If you don't have a cross or a crucifix in your home, consider choosing one on this special feast day, have it blessed, and place it in a prominent place in your home where it will be honored and venerated.

FROM THE READINGS

The liturgy of the Cross is a triumphant liturgy. When Moses lifted up the bronze serpent over the people, it was a foreshadowing of the salvation through Jesus when He was lifted up on the Cross. Our Mother Church sings of the triumph of the Cross, the instrument of our redemption. To follow Christ we must take up His cross, follow Him and become obedient until death, even if it means death on the cross. We identify with Christ on the Cross and become co-redeemers, sharing in His cross.

We made the Sign of the Cross before prayer which helps to fix our minds and hearts to God. After prayer we make the Sign of the Cross to keep close to God. During trials and temptations our strength and protection is the Sign of the Cross. At Baptism we are sealed with the Sign of the Cross, signifying the fullness of redemption and that we belong to Christ. Let us look to the cross frequently, and realize that when we make the Sign of the Cross we give our entire self to God — mind, soul, heart, body, will, thoughts.

O cross, you are the glorious sign of victory. Through your power may we share in the triumph of Christ Jesus.

Symbol: The cross of triumph is usually pictured as a globe with the cross on top, symbolic of the triumph of our Savior over the sin of the world, and world conquest of His Gospel through the means of a grace (cross and orb).

Christians "exalt" the Cross of Christ as the instrument of our salvation. Adoration of the Cross is, thus, adoration of Jesus Christ, the God Man, who suffered and died on this Roman instrument of torture for our redemption from sin and death. The cross represents the One Sacrifice by which Jesus, obedient even unto death, accomplished our salvation. The cross is a symbolic summary of the Passion, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ - all in one image.

The Cross - because of what it represents - is the potent and universal symbol of the Christian faith. It has inspired both liturgical and private devotions; for example, the Sign of the Cross, which is an invocation of the Holy Trinity; the "little" Sign of the Cross on head, lips and heart at the reading of the Gospel; praying the Stations (or Way) of the Cross; and the Veneration of the Cross by the faithful on Good Friday by kissing the feet of the image of Our Saviour crucified.

NOTE From the first reading, God commanded Moses to mould a bronze serpent, so that once one is bitten by snake, and the person looked unto the molded serpent, the person will be saved. Remember God said “do not make any image of things in heaven, on earth, and underneath, and do not worship them”. Hmmm. The same God commanded Moses to mold serpent for the salvation of Israelites, when He (God) can command the serpent he sent to disappear. They did it because it is a means of salvation as willed by God. The same is the reason why we have Images of Christ, Virgin Mary and the Saints in our homes and churches.

The CROSS IS GLORY because this is where Jesus was glorified, and humanity glorified also. THE CROSS IS HEALING because on it, Jesus cried out, “It is finished”. Also Matthew 27:51-52 tells us that while Jesus was on the Cross, the cloth that separates people from God’s healing mercy and liberation was torn, the people in the grave were brought back to life while Jesus was on the cross. Glory to God.  This is why the CROSS IS RESSURRECTION. THE CROSS IS A PLACE OF INSULT where one of the thieves insulted Jesus. The CROSS IS A PLACE OF REPENTANCE where one of the thieves repented. God speaks to us from the Cross.

The FEAST OF THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS ORIGINATED IN THE CHURCH IN JERUSALEM. From the middle of the fourth century it was celebrated on 13 September, the anniversary of the dedication of the basilica erected on Golgotha under Constantine. According to the account written by a fourth-century pilgrim named Egeria, a relic of our Lord’s Cross had been found on that date a few years earlier. The “exaltation” or “raising up” of the Cross took place on the second day of the octave of the dedication; on that day, according to a liturgical book of the time, the venerable Cross is solemnly shown to all the Christian people. At the present time the most characteristic rite of this feast in the Byzantine liturgy is the priest raising the Cross above all the people’s heads, blessing them and turning to the four points of the compass, while the choir intones the Kyrie Eleison a hundred times at each point. Afterwards the faithful come forward to venerate the Cross and to receive one of the flowers decorating the place where the Cross has lain. In the Eastern Churches this feast is so important that it is considered an Autumn Easter.

In Rome, from the beginning of the sixth century, 3 May was commemorated in the Vatican Basilica as a parallel feast, the Finding of the Holy Cross. In the middle of the seventh century the Vatican Basilica adopted the Jerusalem custom of venerating a fragment of the relic of the Cross (called the lignum crucis) on 14 September. Pope Sergius (687-701) transferred the custom to the Lateran Basilica, giving it extra solemnity, such that by the eighth century the feast had spread all over the Christian West.

In the Roman liturgy the preface of the Mass reminds us that since the tree of Paradise was the place of mankind’s fall, God has wanted the Cross to be the new tree that would save us: “ut unde mors oriebatur, inde vita resurgeret, so that where death arose, life might again spring forth.” The readings emphasize the lifting up of Christ on the wood of the Cross as an anticipation of his being raised into glory, and as the “magnet” that would draw all creatures: and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself. The Cross is the place of Jesus’ triumph, and from it, he wants us to help spread his reign. “Christ our Lord was crucified; from the height of the Cross he redeemed the world, thereby restoring peace between God and men. Jesus reminds all of us, ‘And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to myself’ (Jn 12:32). If you put me at the center of all earthly activities, he is saying, by fulfilling the duty of each moment in what appears important and what appears unimportant, I will draw everything to myself. My kingdom among you will be a reality!”

 LET US ADORE THE CROSS ON WHICH HUNG THE SALVATION OF THE WORLD

© REV UTAZI PRINCE MARIE BENIGNUS SFDPM

Updated September 12 2020