In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
I’ve never really started a homily with the Sign of the
Cross before but for today’s feast day I thought it to be a good idea! Today we celebrate the Feast of the
Exaltation of the Holy Cross! This is a
fixed feast day in the Church calendar, always celebrated on September 14th,
even if it falls on a Sunday!
Maybe you noticed too that I did not start my homily today
with some song lyrics from an oldie but goodie but there is a song on my mind
today. Lift high the Cross, the love of
Christ proclaim, till all the world adore His sacred name!
As people of faith, we are called to lift high the Cross of
Christ, to venerate and honor the Cross and to worship Him who gave His life
for us upon the Cross!
The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross commemorates
the historic pilgrimage to Jerusalem and excavation of the site of the
Crucifixion by Saint Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine. According to several legends, the true cross
of Christ was discovered with the inscription upon the cross, I.N.R.I., Jesus of
Nazareth, King of the Jews. Another
legend tells of the discovery of three crosses found together, that of Christ
and the two thieves crucified alongside of Jesus. This legend tells of a sick woman brought to
the three crosses, and only when touched by the true cross was the sick woman
healed. And even more amazing legend
recalls that a dead man was brought to the three crosses and came to life when
touched by the true cross of Christ. For
us today, it is enough to remember that the Holy Cross of Christ is the
instrument of our salvation!
The Church gives us three beautiful readings to celebrate
this feast day. We all should be very
familiar with the Gospel reading as we hear those beautiful words again from
John 3:16: “for God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that
everyone who believes in him may have eternal life”. Yes, the Son of Man must be lifted up, lifted
up upon a cross, an instrument of death which became an instrument of
salvation, so all who believe on Him, nailed to a tree, might have eternal
life. Now for those who heard Jesus say “lifted
up” in reference to Moses lifting the bronze serpent mounted on a pole in the
desert, to save those bitten by saraph serpents, they too would recall these
words from our first reading: “they will live”.
Jesus refers to this living as “eternal life”! Jesus lifted high on that
Holy Cross is good news for you and for me; for we might be saved!
It is also good to remember today that Jesus went to the
cross not because it was something to do, but more because of who He is. Our 2nd reading today, written by
Paul to the Philippians, tells us that Jesus, who is God, did not deem equality
with God. What does this mean? Jesus knew obedience and the will of the
Father not just in his doing but in his being!
You and I too can use this feast day to examine not just what we do, but
who we are. A quick example; I just
returned from 8 amazing days spent with #1 grandson, Calvin. You know he is already 2 years old! He lives far away so I only see him about 20
days a year. Now I am his Pops; his
granddaddy! I am Pops, not just because
of what I do for those 20 days a year, but because, well, because I am Pops; it
is who I am. For those of you who
understand Mike as Deacon hopefully know I am a Deacon 24/7/365, not just for
the hour or so you see me functioning as a Deacon every Sunday. My service as Deacon is more about who I am
than what I do. For as Christ was called
to empty Himself so he could model obedience, you and I are called, by our
being, to empty ourselves to model being Christ to one another. And yes, sometimes that causes us to encounter
our own crosses that we must bear.
Remember, our 2nd reading reminds us that God the
Father greatly exalted Jesus; we too are called to do the same, by being; being
another Christ in our everyday coming in and going out!
What can we do to honor this feast of the Exaltation of the
Holy Cross in the week to come? On
September 17th, this coming Wednesday, the Church will be open for 2
hours for confessions. This is part of
an Archdiocesan-wide effort where every Catholic Church will leave the light on
for us to come in and confess our sins, and receive God’s abundant mercy! Go to confession this week! It does not matter how long it has been, it
does not matter if we remember how to make a perfect confession. No, all that matters is we go; remember who
we are and go! Two more quick things;
when we return home today, look around the house. Where is the crucifix? Is there a crucifix in your family room, the
bedroom, the children’s room? Lift high
the cross in our own homes; exalt the Holy Cross in our own lives! Finally, make the sign of the cross as often
as we can! Make the sign of the cross
every time we pray, at meals, in public and in private, make the sign of the
cross on our young one’s forehead and on our family members who are sick.
Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim, till all
the world adore His sacred name!
The sign of the cross: in the name of the Father, and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
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