The life, passion, death, and resurrection of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ promise eternal life and serve as the ultimate symbol of this glorious mystery. The Cross, on which hung the world's salvation, represents the victory of the Cross over sin and death, and the totality of this victory is celebrated by the Church in this feast. The Exaltation of the Cross holds fourfold significance: a sacrifice of love for all humankind, a pulpit of forgiveness and grace, the birth of the Church, and the sign of Christ's triumph, linking man to God and to each other. In 326, St. Helena, the Empress and mother of Emperor Constantine, discovered three crosses on Calvary. A miracle worked by touching a cripple to each of the three crosses, in turn, helped identify the true Cross. Consequently, she had the Cross exalted in her palace in Rome, which she converted into the monumental Church of the Holy Cross. Thanks to her efforts, innumerable fragments of this Cross found their way to every part of Christendom and, according to St. John Chrysostom, were so revered that they were encased in gold and worn around the neck. The True Cross was kept in Jerusalem, but in 614, Persia invaded the city with a large number of Jews who destroyed Christian sanctuaries. The Persian King took the casket containing the relic to Iran. Emperor Heraclius recaptured Persia in 629, retrieved the relic, and brought it to Jerusalem for public veneration. This is when the feast was incorporated into the Roman Church. Jesus said the Cross would divide people on the last day. Believers must accept and dedicate themselves to the Cross of Christ. The Crucifix has a place of honor in every Christian heart, home, and place of worship. It is with the sign of the Cross that we begin our actions and share in the redemption of the world.
O Lord, open our eyes to see that it is through the path of the Cross that we merit a share in Your glory.
Jonathan Fabian Ginunggil,
Most High Servant,
Jesus, Mary, Joseph Ministry of Love
(Blessed and Saints and the Nine Choirs of Angels)
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