(Kryziu Kalnas: Hill of Crosses in Siauliai, Lithuania)
The Word for Feast: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/091414.cfm
Nm
21: 4b-9
Ph
2: 6-11Jn 3: 13-17
Why
do people choose to build a house on a hill or build a home with large picture
windows facing towards the Sea? - Because
of the view. Standing on a hill with
clear weather we can see for miles. With
more mountains in the distance the view can be stunning and peaceful.
We
stand to face vast endless miles of water.
We hear the constant roar of the Ocean and we marvel at the sun sparking
on the waves. If we are facing west we
stand in awe, with luck, if the setting sun glows with colored hues of pink,
blazing orange, red or purple. These are
scenes which move us deep within our spirit and we connect with God’s creation.
Today
we stand before another view of inspiration.
But that sign is simple; just two + crossed lines. The sign is starkly
simple but the story behind it is that of the greatest love ever shown. For us Christians the cross is the sign of our
salvation. Once a symbol of frightening
torture and shame in ancient Roman times our Feast today of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross reminds us
of what God has done for humanity in the death and resurrection of his own Son,
Jesus the Christ. As a people of faith
it should move us as deeply as the view of God’s creation in all its power.
Historically
this Feast recalls the finding of the true cross in Jerusalem in the fourth
century (Sept 14, 326) by St. Helena the mother of the Roman Emperor
Constantine. On that hill of Mt. Calvary
was built a Church to protect what remained of that cross and to mark the tomb
of Jesus. The present Church today
stands on that same spot and was built during Crusader times. But today’s feast
is far more than just a past historical event.
That
sign + stands as an eternal symbol of God’s everlasting mercy for all of
humanity. The sign of the cross is
recognized around the world as the premier symbol of the Christian faith. It is
both a sign of hope and has been shamed during times of persecution up to our
own present day. Yet as Catholics in particular we may become somewhat
complacent before it.
When
you stop to reflect for a moment, we realize the cross is everywhere in our
life of faith. We see the cross used in
the rituals of our sacraments: We are signed at our baptism with the cross; we
are sealed with Chrism and the Holy Spirit by the Bishop in Confirmation, we
are forgiven of our sins in Reconciliation as the priest gestures the cross
over us in the words of absolution, we bless ourselves as we begin liturgy,
bread and wine are prayed over and blessed by the priest before consecration,
sacred objects of devotion are blessed with the sign of the cross, and we pass
our hands over our body in that ancient gesture used by the early Christians to
identify themselves. We dip our hand in blessed water as we enter the Church and
sign ourselves with the cross +
The
cross stands on the roof of buildings identifying them as Christian places of
worship. We might wear a cross around our neck or draw it on other objects.
Because
of the cross on which Jesus died humankind can have confidence in God’s mercy
and forgiveness and then hope to enter eternity in God’s presence and those of
faith before us. If that fact was not true then everything we do as religious
people would be useless and empty. Nothing we do would have meaning in our
Christian lives from the Pope down to our personal prayer time if it were not
for the death of Jesus on the cross and his resurrection three days later. So
the cross is far more than just two simple lines.
Like
the Hebrews in the desert, our first reading today, the serpent that bit them
then became a sign of healing and life because God changed their desperation to
hope as the bronze serpent on the pole raised by Moses became their sign of
healing. The cross takes away our
hopelessness due to sin and creates a new sign of joy and new life as we see
Christ raised on the cross.
Today’s
second reading from Paul’s letter to the Church in Philippi are the words of an
ancient Christian hymn probably sung by early believers as they gathered in
liturgy and prayer. While the melody is lost the moving words remain. Paul uses these words to sum up the whole Christian
message of God of which the cross has become the ultimate sign: “. . . he
(Jesus) humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a
cross. Because of this God greatly
exalted him . . . and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father.”
In
our Gospel, Nicodemus comes to Jesus secretly at night. In the darkness of night Nicodemus seeks the
light of truth and understanding. In
answer to Nicodemus, Jesus alludes to his coming death and resurrection: “. . .
and just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man
be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
So,
today’s Feast doesn’t teach us anything new that we haven’t heard before. We know the Cross is the sign of a Christian
and we know that it means salvation for humanity. We have heard this in so many ways during our
lives.
But,
today we can look at the cross with more seriousness and remind ourselves not
only of the price that was paid by Jesus but what has come to us because of
it. We can remember to never take it for
granted and always honor it not a piece of decoration but as the ultimate sign
of God’s love for us.
The
Eucharist is the moment of connection with that one time event on Calvary more
than two thousand years ago. The body and blood shed on that cross is now risen
and present to us as our food for the journey of life.
Here,
because of the cross we have a Church. We have our sacraments. We have the
gathering of a diverse people around the world.
We share a common life in Christ. We know that we worship a God who is
not distant and uninterested but who walks with us to share our joy and sorrow.
We
have life and hope not death and despair all because of the Cross of
Christ. Two simple lines which God has
transformed.
"We adore you O Christ and we praise you because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world."
O God, who willed that your Only Begotten Son
should undergo the Cross to save the human race,
grant, we pray,
that we, who have known his mystery on earth,
may merit the grace of his redemption in heaven.
(Roman Missal: Collect for the Feast)
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