Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross; a former instrument of execution is transformed by Christ into our greatest symbol of victory, hope, and love.
This celebration has deep roots in the history of our faith. It marks the dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem in the year 335 AD, built on the very site where the Lord was crucified. Years earlier, around 326 AD, the devout Saint Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, according to history, embarked on a famous pilgrimage to the Holy Land to recover the sacred geography of our faith. After clearing away pagan temples built over Golgotha, her excavation team uncovered three buried crosses.
Tradition tells us that to identify the True Cross of Christ, a terminally ill woman was brought to touch each one. Upon touching the third cross, she was miraculously healed. This episode goes beyond mere recount of history and speaks to its spiritual significance, reminding us that the wood of the cross is a continuous source of life and healing, and not just an ancient relic. In his Homily on the Veneration of the Cross, Saint John Chrysostom reminds us: “The Cross is wood which lifts us up and makes us great… It uprooted us from the depths of evil and elevated us to the summit of virtue”.
Promise of Healing
We see this promise of healing in today’s readings. Just as Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the desert to heal the Israelites bitten by the serpent (First Reading), Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel: “So must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” When we experience personal suffering or heartbreak, looking at the crucifix reminds us that we do not serve a distant God, but a Saviour who entered directly into our human pain and transformed it through the power of his Crucifixion.
In the contemporary world, there is a growing push to remove the crucifix from public spaces, classrooms, and government buildings under the guise of neutrality. Secular society often seeks to hide the cross because its raw vulnerability and radical call to self-sacrificial love challenge a modern culture built on comfort and self-indulgence.
Enthrone the Crucifix
In response to this push to banish Christ from the public square, Christians are encouraged to intentionally enthrone the crucifix in their homes. Let it occupy a place of honor in your living rooms, bedrooms, and over your doorways. When society attempts to strip the sacred from the outside world, our homes must become vibrant domestic churches where the symbol of our salvation is proudly displayed. A crucifix in the home is a daily visual anchor for your family, reminding everyone of who you are, whose you are, and the standard of love you are called to live.
Let us never be ashamed of the cross. Let us reclaim its saving power in our private lives, confidently praying: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You, because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
[Readings: Numbers 21:4b-9; Philippians 2:6-11; John 3:13-17]
