Today we are celebrating the Exaltation of the Holy Cross which commemorates the victory of our Lord Jesus. This victory is accomplished through His death and resurrection. By the cross, life won over death.
This feast was celebrated in Rome before the end of the 7th century. Its purpose is to commemorate the recovering of that portion of the Holy Cross, which was preserved at Jerusalem and which had fallen into the hands of the Persians. Emperor Heraclius recovered this precious relic which Saint Helen discovered in Calvary and brought it back to Jerusalem on May 3, 629.
Actually this Cross of Jesus was found by St. Helen, the mother of Emperor Constantine, in the 4th century AD. According to legend, a Jew named Judah was the only person who knew about the location of the cross. Under pressure from St. Helen, he revealed that it had been buried under the temple of Venus which had been built by Emperor Hadrian at Golgotha. As she found three crosses buried at the site, it seemed impossible to determine which one was the cross of Christ. Just then a funeral procession was passing by the place, and Helen had all three of the crosses brought to the side of the dead body. When the third cross was placed upon the dead man, he rose to life, confirming that this was indeed the life-giving cross of Jesus.
So many of Protestant brothers and sisters would always ask why we, Catholics honor the cross and yet it was upon it that Jesus was killed. Yes the cross was a form of death penalty, a punishment for criminals, rebels and others. Yes the cross becomes a failure, a piece of wood, for many Jews a symbol of shame and disgrace, and meaningless but with Christ on it, the cross becomes meaningful and salvation because he saves us from shame and disgrace of sins.
In our daily living, we always identify the Cross with our problems, trials, difficulties and others. We say: “Ang laki ng problema ko, parang hindi ko na kaya ang krus na ito!” or we may say: “Marami akong krus sa buhay ngayon. Sino ba ang krus mo sa buhay mo ngayon?” Yes we cannot deny that we have crosses in our lives but God gives them to us because we can carry them.
Just like this story of a man who complained long and loud to the Lord that the cross he had to carry was too heavy. “Come with me,” said the Lord as he took the man to the shop where crosses were made. Here were piled crosses of every shape and size.
With an amused smile, the Lord said: “Just you shop around and if you see one you like, take it along.”
So the man entered the door, set his cross against the wall and rubbed his hands in glee and chuckled to himself: “This is the chance of a lifetime, something I have been waiting for. If I’ve got to carry a cross anyway, I might as well get one that’s not too much of a burden, one that fits me personally.”
So he tried this one and that and none suited him. One was too long and bumped along on the ground. Another was too short and tripped him. One was too light and swayed in the wind. Another was too heavy and cut into his shoulders. Almost ready to despair, he spied one leaning against the wall. He tried it on for size, walked around with it and then turned to the Lord with a smile and said: “This is it. This is the one I have been looking for. I’ll take it.”
So out the door they went and the Lord turn to the cross bearer and said with a smile: “I’m glad you like that one; it’s the one you brought in.”
But one thing is sure about the cross, Jesus embraced the cross for our sake and made it a victory; it is our salvation.