Sep 14 – Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
The 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 and brought it back to Jerusalem on 3 May 629.
- Patron Saint Index
Num 21:4-9
Phil 2:6-11
Jn 3:13-17
“If anyone is bitten and looks at it, he shall live.”
Today’s Solemnity, which used to be called The Triumph of the Cross, is certainly a celebration that epitomises Jesus’ counter-cultural teaching, wisdom and truth.
First of all, the names of the feast are in themselves oxymorons. How can a cross, a Roman instrument of torture that’s built to cause excruciating pain, and ultimately a slow and shameful death, possibly be exalted? Where is the triumph in dying naked, stripped of one’s every dignity? What honour and glory can there be when, bloodied and breathless, one is left for dead, while all and sundry stand by to watch, mock and jeer?
Two words: Jesus Christ. When Jesus willingly suffered and died on the cross, fulfilling the Father’s will perfectly in atonement for the world’s sins, he won eternal salvation for every one of us, and made it possible for us to enter heaven, through his grace and by the cross.
Jesus Christ is who we exalt on the cross. His suffering, death and Resurrection are what triumph over sin and death, so that sin and death no longer have a hold on us. The eternal salvation wrought from the Cross of Christ is, however, possible for us only if we, too, accept our personal crosses.
As Catholics, we wear crucifixes proudly around our necks and adorn our doorways and walls with them. But, are these practices truly reflective of how we live our lives? Do we truly embrace our personal crosses? If we seek pleasure and flee from all and any of life’s discomforts and sufferings, are we not then, only pretending to accept and carry our crosses as fake followers of Christ and purveyors of cheap grace?
German theologian and pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his book, The Cost of Discipleship, defined cheap grace as the idea of receiving God’s forgiveness and salvation without true repentance or commitment to following Jesus, contrasting it with the costly grace that demands genuine discipleship and sacrifice.
Bonhoeffer contrasted cheap grace with costly grace, which is a gracious call from Jesus that requires genuine repentance, turning away from sin, and a willingness to take up one’s cross. This involves a serious commitment to following Christ, not just a belief in God’s free gift of grace.
Jesus allows crosses on those he loves and wants to qualify with his grace. It is his gift of grace that allows us to willingly, serenely, even joyfully mount our daily crosses. Without his help, by our own strength alone, it would not be sustainable or even possible. While the Lord does not cause us to suffer, his permissive will at times, allows suffering as part of his best plan for each and every one of us. And that, ultimately, would be our eternal salvation.
This may come as a surprise to many of us, but as much as we are all called to this ministry and that church-related work, we are also called by name, chosen explicitly, for each of our personal crosses. This is the ministry of suffering, in which we can, through trust, surrender, prayerful discernment and yes, even gratitude, find purpose and meaning in our pain.
For the crosses our Lord allows are not for suffering’s sake. They are a means to an end, not the ends in themselves. Mounting the cross also bears many fruits – a deeper and more intimate relationship with him, poverty in spirit, so that we will lean on him for everything, a detachment to earthly and fleshly rewards, and grace for lost ones whose souls are in mortal danger, also known as redemptive suffering. Yes, indeed, we should not waste our pain, whether physical, emotional or mental. Offer up that debilitating arthritic agony you experience when you walk, your care-giving exhaustion, the persecution at work, the unkindness of a beloved family member that feels like death from a thousand papercuts; all this for the good of someone who is in dire need of God’s grace.
Just as Jesus saved us through the cross and is now forever exalted in the heavens, we too can participate in saving souls by collaborating with him through our redemptive suffering, by bearing our own crosses patiently, perseveringly and even jubilantly.
“If anyone is bitten and looks at it, he shall live”. That which feels like it’s killing us can ultimately give us life. When we say ‘yes’, Christ crucified and Jesus risen will empower us in such a way that our crosses will save us and also save the world.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Susanah Cheok)
Prayer: My Lord and my God, through the cross, you did the ultimate by giving your life for the world. As I struggle to say ‘yes’ to my daily crosses, grace me to abandon my resistance to your will and help me to accept and submit to your plans and desires for me, even when they come with pain and suffering. Empower my heart to be a collaborative member of the ministry of suffering, so that I may ultimately have hope of living in glory with you in Heaven. Amen.
Thanksgiving: Thank you, Jesus, for showing me the Way, the Truth and the Life. Even in life’s darkest moments, your light shines brightly as a beacon to give meaning and purpose to my discomfort and desolation. Thank you for blessing my crosses with meaning and purpose, and for being the peace in my heart amid any and every storm. Amen.
OXYGEN 
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