JESUS WHO DIED NOW GLORIFIED
According to history, in the early
4th Century St. Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine,
went to Jerusalem in search for the Holy places of Christ’s life. During her
pilgrimage she was said to have discovered the True Cross, the one which Jesus
died on. It was identified when a dying woman was healed after touching it. The
cross immediately became an object of veneration by many.
To this day, the Eastern
Churches, Catholic and Orthodox, celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the
Holy Cross the 14th of September every year.The feast entered the
Western calendar in the 7th Century, after Emperor Heraclicus
recovered the cross from the Persians. It is said that, the emperor intended to
carry the cross back into Jerusalem by himself, but was unable to move forward
until he removed his crown, imperial garb and became a barefoot pilgrim. Of
course there are many other versions of the history behind the Feast of the
Exaltation of The Cross.
However, the one point here is to
exalt the Cross, to lift the Cross on high because of its great power, and not
ourselves. We are to embrace the Cross just like Our Lord embraced His Cross.
Unfortunately, today we are losing the true meaning of exalting the Cross, many
on look to exalt the cross if it could heal them or if a miracle took place. The
new generation has turned it into a thing of beauty to be carried in
processions, worn as jewellery or just to decorate the walls of our homes and we
would only buy a cross if it looks pleasing to the eyes, just as how we choose
our Cross in our daily lives. The cross of our Lord had no beauty, not finely
carved or sand papered, nor was it light and pocketed sized. Jesus could not
choose His cross, it was just a wood that He hung on, wounded in hands, feet
and sides, which He accepted humbly, all just for us, so that our wounds could
be healed, our sins forgiven. Just exactly like in the gospel of John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever
believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
If Jesus, a pure innocent man
embraced the Cross and is exalted now on high just for us, then why can’t we do
the same for Him? Why do we keep running from our crosses in life? We are
always finding an easy way out. The truth is, there is no easy way out, and we
all need to go to the Cross in order to be exalted in the end. We all need to
face and embrace our crosses, be it unemployment, financial problems, family
problems, marriage problems, all trials and tribulations. Because only when we
make our sufferings one with Christ’s on the Cross, than we too can one day be
exalted. It is not easy and it’ll only get harder but we need to try. Jesus,
Himself said it is not easy but it’ll be worth it.
If you’re familiar with the
Saints, you’ll know that this is true. If you've seen pictures of saints, they
all appear with a Cross. All the saints relied on the Cross for strength,
consolation, comfort, love and direction throughout their trials. For me, it is
always easier to relate with the suffering Christ. I guess it is easier to look
to the Cross when we feel all else has failed, just seeing Jesus on the cross
wakes us up instantly, we can say to ourselves “if Jesus did it, than we can do
it as well”. Not only have the saints relied on the cross, but also priest and
religious.
Now, coming back to the main
point, Exaltation of the Cross, to be exalted we need to be stripped away of
everything. A crown for a crown of thorns, sandals to being barefoot, with a
garb to being naked and then only are we worthy to carry the cross. Just like
the Emperor, we have to put aside pride and just be humble it is then only we
can move forward with our Cross. This is what our Lord did, because the humble
will always be exalted in God’s eyes. In Philippians 2:8-11 this is clearly
stated, “He
humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of
this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every
name, that at the name
of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the
earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
the Father”.
In conclusion, let us
truly appreciate the cross and know what the Feast of Exaltation of the Cross
really is to us and how we too can make changes in the way we carry our cross
in life, especially when we sing the Hymn; Majesty, in hope that one day we too
may be exalted just like Christ and the saints. Also, when looking to buy a
cross next time, try not to emphasis on the quality or beauty of it, rather
more on a cross that you can relate to, throughout your life.
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