September 14 – Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
The historical occasion celebrated by the feast of this Sunday takes us back to the discovery of the true Cross of Christ in Jerusalem by St. Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, in approximately 320, and the consecration, in the same city, of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre on September 13, 335. The following day, the Patriarch of Jerusalem presented the relics for the first time to the solemn adoration of the faithful.
It seems curious that the feast is dedicated to the relic and not to the One who makes it worthy of adoration, Our Lord Jesus Christ. The fact is that, beyond the historical circumstances of its discovery, the Cross became one of the greatest symbols of the Catholic Faith and has was placed atop Church steeples and the most splendid crowns of the kings of Christendom.
What is the deeper reason for this honour?
In the Old Testament, the Lord revealed Himself as the Creator of the universe, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of the burning bush and the plagues of Egypt, the God who exterminated the prophets of Baal at the hands of Elijah. In the New Testament we find the same God, but made Man to save us: Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity incarnate.
The main difference between the two Testaments lies precisely in the suffering endured for love of mankind. The suffering of a humanized God who, unable to touch the hearts of sinners with portentous manifestations, does the unthinkable: He makes Himself contingent and places Himself in the hands of tormentors who, in retribution for the countless miracles worked by Him, despise Him, call Him possessed by demons, hand Him over to the authorities as a malefactor, crown Him with thorns, crucify Him, and pierce Him with a lance… And as a witness to all these outrages remains the Cross, bathed in the Most Precious Blood, marked by the nail holes and the inscription placed on it as a sign of ignominy: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” (Jn 19:19).
When well-accepted, suffering is, as Msgr. João teaches us, a sacramental that sanctifies and saves us: it is the light and gentle weight of Our Lord’s Cross. But there is also another form of suffering: the yoke of Satan.
If we want unhappiness, let us carry our crosses with a spirit of revolt; if we prefer to be happy, let us do so with love and resignation. Dr. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira sums up this dual option with pulchritude: “Do you want to define a man? Ask him if there is a cross at the centre of his life! Ask what cross he carries and how he carries it; the man will be defined. […] ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt’ (Mt 26:39), Our Lord asked at the beginning of the Passion. At the end, He cried out: ‘My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?’ (Mt 27:46). That is how far His sacrifice went! But then came the glories of the Resurrection! So the Catholic concept of life is clear. It is beautiful to imitate Our Lord Jesus Christ and carry our cross to the end!”1 ◊
Notes
1 CORRÊA DE OLIVEIRA, Plinio. Conference. São Paulo, 6/10/1984.
