By Leon Bent –
On September 14, we celebrate The Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This feast traces its beginning to Jerusalem, and the dedication of the Church built on the site of Mount Calvary in 335 AD.
But, the meaning of the Cross is deeper than any city, any celebration, any building. The Cross is a sign of suffering, a sign of human cruelty at its worst. But by Christ’s love shown in the Paschal Mystery, it has become the sign of triumph and victory, the sign of God, who is Love itself.
Believers have always looked to the Cross in times of suffering. People in concentration camps, in prisons, in hospitals, in any place of suffering and loneliness, have been known to draw, trace, or form crosses, and focus their eyes and hearts on them. The Cross does not explain pain and misery. It does not give us any easy answers. But it does help us to see our lives united with Christ’s.
We make the Sign of the Cross before prayer which helps to fix our minds and hearts on 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.
“The Cross is our greatest teacher,” writes Alice Camille in The Seven Last Words. “It was meant to be an instrument of execution, but it became a source of salvation for all. . . . Contemplate it often.”
The liturgy of the Cross is a triumphant one. 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 a Cross. We identify with Christ on the Cross and become co-redeemers, sharing in His Cross.
The holy Cross as the symbol of Christianity, reminds us of the crucifixion of Christ on a fateful Friday to be resurrected again. Apart from this, the mystic symbol is also suggestive of the entire essence of Christianity like love, forgiveness, sacrifice, surrender to God and living in Spirit.
The force of God’s self-emptying love on the Cross, invites our participation in the mystery of Jesus’ suffering and the suffering of the Church. Only Christian faith gives access to this kind of participation. For with eyes of faith we see that Jesus’ crucified love is poured out on all humanity, but especially on those who suffer the most in his body, the Church.
True reverence for the Lord’s passion means fixing the eyes of our heart on Jesus crucified, and recognizing in him, our own humanity. The body that lay lifeless in the tomb is ours. The body that rose again on the third day is ours. The body that ascended above the heights of heaven, to the right hand of the Father’s glory, is ours. If then, we walk in the way of his commandments, and are not ashamed to acknowledge the price he paid for our salvation in a lowly body we too, are to rise to share his glory. The promise he made will be fulfilled in the sight of all: Whoever acknowledges me before men, I too will acknowledge him before my Father who is in heaven.
One image of Jesus’ crucifixion offers a profound visual catechesis for catechists and those they serve who seek hope, wisdom, and perseverance in faith in a season of healing.
The Cross is today the universal image of Christian belief. Countless generations of artists have turned it into a thing of beauty to be carried in procession or worn as jewellery: These simple yet powerful expressions of the central image of the Christian faith are an opportunity for all of us to contemplate the essence of Christian discipleship.
This little gold nugget! O Cross, you are the glorious sign of our victory. Through your power may we share in the triumph of Christ Jesus!
And, this final flourish! “The Cross is our greatest teacher,” writes Alice Camille in “Seven Last Words”. “It was meant to be an instrument of execution, but it became a source of salvation for all… Contemplate it often.”
The last word! The one symbol most often identified with Jesus and his Church, is the Cross!
Leon Bent is an ex-Seminarian and studied the Liberal Arts and Humanities, and Philosophy, from St. Pius X College, Mumbai. He holds Masters Degree in English Literature and Aesthetics. He has published three Books and have 20 on the anvil. He has two extensively “Researched” Volumes to his name: Hail Full of Grace and Matrimony: The Thousand Faces of Love. He won The Examiner, Silver Pen Award, 2000 for writing on Social Issues, the clincher being a Researched Article on Gypsies in India, published in an issue of the (worldwide circulation) Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection, New Delhi. On April, 28, 2018, Leon received the Cardinal Ivan Dias Award for a research paper in Mariology.