Posted by The WORD in other words (2022) by Fr Sonny de Rivera SVD – Rome
Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, September 14
Living in Rome afforded me several occasions to visit the Holy Cross Basilica in Jerusalem or Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, one of the seven pilgrim churches of Rome. According to tradition, the basilica was consecrated to house the relics of the Holy Cross brought to Rome from the Holy Land by Empress St. Helena, mother of Roman Emperor Constantine I.
Kneeling before the relics brings me to Christ, who was gloried in the cross in an eventful passion and death. I come face to face with the traditional and real cross of Christ speaking to me and reminding me that:
– The man at the gibbet of the cross turned the world upside down by loving his enemies and loving unconditionally.
– The cross speaks of the One who became obedient unto death, even death on the cross.
– The cross means moments of afflictions, trials, and difficulties that believers have to go through if they follow Christ faithfully. He says, “He who does not take up his cross, and follow after me daily, is not worthy of me.”
On the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, we honor the holy cross on which Christ died out of love for us, and by his death on the cross, he brought salvation to the world. In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks to us about his elevation on the cross of Calvary. His cross manifests his love for the world and us. Hence John tells us: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
I am reminded of a young man who came to me many years ago, during the early outbreak of AIDS. He had AIDS, and his situation reflected a young man carrying a heavy cross laden with uncertainty, fear, despair, and isolation. At the end of our conversation, he asked me to bless his necklace with a cross. He told me one of the most profound and authentic statements coming from a man of faith, “Father, this cross keeps me strong and alive.” May we take the cross of our Christ as our source of strength and reason to live fully.
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