Daily Gospel Reflection
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September 14, 2019
No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Reflection
In the Congregation of Holy Cross, we take as our motto Ave Crux Spes Unica, “Hail the Cross, our Only Hope.” It’s an odd motto in many ways. The cross was an instrument of failure and defeat—of utter humiliation for those who hung from it. When Jesus mounted the cross on Good Friday, it seemed like the end to all that had been promised and hoped for in his ministry. It was hard to see anything but tragedy and death at that moment.
But Good Friday was not the end. Because of Easter Sunday, the defeat and tragedy of Jesus’ cross was not the final word. Jesus took everything that seemed so final—every apparent defeat—and turned it into a victory through the Resurrection. On Easter Sunday, he manifested his power over sin and death. He showed that these things are not the end and that God’s love is the final word.
Despite this fact, we often try to avoid crosses when we encounter them. We are reluctant to fully embrace today’s feast. We ask: Why do we exalt the cross? Today, we do not simply honor the Resurrection, the glorious ending of the story. We revere the cross because Jesus, in accepting it, made it holy. He made the cross—the physical one he carried and the burdens we carry today—part of the mystery of our salvation. And for that, we rejoice.
“Jesus entered into the pain and death that sin inflicts. He accepted the torment but gave us joy in return. We whom he has sent to minister amid the same sin and pain must know that we too shall find the cross and the hope it promises.” (Constitutions of the Congregation of Holy Cross, Constitution 8: The Cross)
Prayer
Lord Jesus, we confess that we have done many things that we are ashamed of, which we would prefer be kept hidden in the dark. Yet we also need to remember that no sin of ours is greater than your love for us. So please grant us the courage to stop hiding and come out into the light of your forgiveness and mercy. Amen.
Saint of the Day
For centuries, the Church has gathered on this date to venerate the cross upon which Jesus died.
On this date in 320, during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, St. Helen discovered the site where local Christians believed Jesus was crucified. Underneath this site of a pagan temple, she found three buried crosses—Jesus’ own, and the crosses of the two thieves executed beside him. How did Helen identify which cross was the one on which Jesus died? A sick woman was told to kiss each cross, and when she kissed the third cross, she was healed.
Helen also discovered the inscription that was placed on the cross above Jesus’ head and the nails that pierced his hands and feet. When she was certain she had found the true cross, it was lifted up for all to see and the gathered people responded in acclamation of praise.
The date of this discovery was remembered and used to dedicate churches that were later built over the places of Jesus’ death and burial. Pieces of the true cross were kept in a silver reliquary box in the church that was built over Jesus’ tomb. Early authors all agree that the relics were comprised of pieces of the true cross; the cross was not preserved in its entirety.
In the centuries that followed, conflicts overran the Holy Land multiple times, and invading forces claimed the relics as a prize. When Emperor Heraclius recovered the pieces of the cross in 629 after one incursion, he gathered the people on this date for a solemn liturgy to venerate the relics. When the pieces were lifted up for veneration, many sick were miraculously cured.
The feast of the Exaltation of the Cross is one of the great feast days of the Orthodox Church. Pieces of the true cross are part of the reliquary collection in the Basilica, and brought out for veneration, especially on Good Friday. The reliquary also holds a piece of the rock of Calvary, where Jesus was crucified, as well as pieces of his tomb.
On this feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, let us remember Jesus’ suffering and death and look to the cross for healing and life!