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Sunday, September 14th, is a very interesting Feast Day in the
Catholic Church – the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. According to tradition, early
in the fourth century Saint Helena, the mother of the Roman Emperor
Constantine, went to Jerusalem in search of the holy places in Jesus' life. As
part of her search she excavated the second-century Temple of Aphrodite, which was
built over the tomb where Jesus was buried. During that excavation workers
found three crosses. Legend has it that the one on which Jesus died was
identified when a dying woman touched it and was miraculously healed.
That cross immediately became an object of veneration by
visitors to the Holy Land. It was kept safe locked away in an ornate shrine. And
once a year on Good Friday it was taken out of its precious silver container
and placed on a table for viewing and veneration by pilgrims the world over.
In 614 AD Jerusalem was conquered and the cross was carried off
to Persia. It was recovered from the Persians 15 years later by the Byzantine Emperor
Heraclius. The emperor intended to personally carry the cross back into
Jerusalem by himself. But, according to legend, he was unable to move forward
until he took off his imperial garb and became a barefoot pilgrim. That legend
contains a powerful message for us 21st century Christians.
The true Cross of Christ is more than just a piece of wood; it
is a sign and symbol of unconditional love and healing. As disciples of Jesus,
we are called to carry and exalt that Cross by bringing love and healing into our
world. But we can’t do that unless we do what Emperor Heraclius did. We must
take off the imperial garb of our own ego and self-centeredness; and let go of
any anger, negativity or prejudice that we carry. Like Heraclius, we must
become barefoot pilgrims carrying God’s love into every corner of our life.
To
truly exalt the Cross of Christ we must live as Jesus taught us to live – with
unconditional love and forgiveness and inclusion for everyone; not just for the
people we like, but for the very least and most disliked of our fellow
human beings as well. That kind of true exaltation of the Cross of Christ will
bring healing into our world; even more than just keeping it locked away in a
precious silver container.
On this coming Feast Day, and every day, let us continue to truly
exalt the Cross of Christ by living as Jesus calls us to live.
………………………………………………………………………………..
Readers
of this blog might enjoy these books by Deacon Lex. Both are available on
Amazon.com:
Just to Follow My Friend: Experiencing God’s Presence in Everyday
Life
Synchronicity as the Work of the Holy Spirit: Jungian Insights for
Spiritual Direction and Pastoral Ministry
http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-Work-Holy-Spirit-Spiritual/dp/1463518781/
