Servants of Charity

Dear Confreres, 

The cross is at the heart and center of all that we as Christians believe. The Exaltation of the Holy Cross is the central mystery of our faith, that the one who was lifted up on the cross in crucifixion has triumphed over the power of sin and death because God has highly exalted Him.
The feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross commemorates two historical events: the discovery in 326 of what was regarded as the true Cross, under the temple of Venus in Jerusalem, by St. Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine and the dedication in 335 of the basilica and shrine built on the site.
However, a real understanding of this feast is not to be found in the historical descriptions of those events and what followed them. Instead, one has to go to Scripture and look especially at John's Gospel and the way in which it treats the story of Moses and the bronze serpent (Numbers 21,4-9). In that story, Moses is commanded by the Lord to set up a bronze fiery serpent on a pole, so that whenever a person was bitten by a serpent, that person would look at the bronze serpent and live. In the Gospel reading (John 3,13-17), Jesus tells Nicodemus that He, as Son of Man, must be 'lifted up', as was the serpent, so that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.
The first meaning of the Greek word that translates 'lift up' is 'exalt', a term which is associated more readily with the resurrection than the crucifixion. However, by its association with the incident of the bronze serpent, John seems to have in mind both the setting up of Jesus on the cross, the crucifixion, as well as His exaltation in the awesome splendor of the resurrection.
John differs from the other evangelists in his reluctance to see the crucifixion as a humiliation. He omits the agonized plea in Gethsemane and the cry of desolation on the cross. The Jesus of John's Gospel says: “Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour.” (John 12,27). For John, the incarnation was a manifestation of divine glory (John 1,14), and the cross instrumental for its completion. This perspective – of seeing past the reality of the suffering to its significance as the means of exaltation, and in that way seeing the cross as holy – can be pastorally helpful. It infuses hope even in our prayers of lament, a hope when all seems lost.
The cross, because of what it represents, is the most potent and universal symbol of the Christian faith. It is a constant reminder and witness of Christ's ultimate triumph, His victory over sin and death through His suffering and dying on the Cross. The cross, once a tool of death, has become a means to life, an instrument of our salvation. It gives strength to resist temptation, it gives hope to seek new life and it dispels fear and darkness.
The cross is at the center of our lives every time we face sickness and death. The cross is at the center of our lives in frailty and old age. The cross is at the center of our lives every time we feel utterly alone and abandoned. The cross is at the center of our lives every time we are tempted to give in and give up. It is at the center of our lives every time we are tempted to throw our hands up in despair. It keeps reminding us that only when we embrace the cross in the midst of suffering and abandonment can we understand the power of resurrection. Only when we embrace the cross is it possible for God to raise us up and give us new life. The Cross is central to our Catholic faith.

Fr. Ronald J, SdC

Provincial Superior