Gospel Delights!

Thursday, September 14, 2023

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Nm 21:4-9; Phil 2:6-11; Jn 3:13-17

St. Bonaventure asked St. Thomas Aquinas, ‘What is the secret of your learning? What is your book of wisdom?’ The great saint turned to a crucifix that stood between him and the light and said, pointing reverently to it while his voice deepened like a bell with sincerity, ‘My secret? My book? Br. Bonaventure, see my book!’

As we Christians are proud of the symbol of the cross, the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross invites us to remember the salvific significance of the cross and thank God for the ‘Tree of Life’ that gives us hope and direction, especially as we strive to imitate Christ. 

The cross, the symbol of suffering, was turned into a symbol of victory by Christ upon his resurrection. By defying the beliefs of Greeks, for whom it was foolishness, and of Jews, for whom it was a scandal (1 Cor 1:23), the cross declares the triumph of God’s wisdom over the wisdom of this world. 

For the Greeks, who were steeped in philosophical speculations, the infinite and all-powerful God becoming a finite human person who is prone to weakness and vulnerability was simply unacceptable. Hence, ‘God Incarnate’ was an absurd idea for them. Even more humiliating was the Good News about the Redeemer who died on the cross and the proclamation by the Christians inviting the hearers to believe in him!

For Jews, ‘God Incarnate’ was understandable. However, their objection was the form that Jesus took – the form of the ‘Crucified Messiah.’ Hence, it was not the presence of God but his weakness that scandalized the Jews. 

But why would the Son of God choose to undergo a cruel death on the cross? For those of us who are familiar with the greatness of God in the Old Testament, Jesus intends to demonstrate how profound ‘Divine Love’ could be. Already, it started with his incarnation. And it culminates on the cross through his sacrificial suffering and humiliating death. Who can deny that the cross signifies the depth of God’s love? There could have been no better way for God to say, ‘I love you’ than by giving his life for those he called his ‘friends.’ Altruistic love is God’s name and character!

Billy Graham once said, ‘The thing that kept Christ on that cross was love, not the nail.’ The way of the cross is so radically transformative that we never come back the same way we went in if at all our hearts were open to understanding God’s love. 

Not just the direction, but the cross becomes the way for Christians. Whoever wishes to live perfectly should do nothing but disdain what Christ disdained on the cross and desire what he desired. For this reason, the angelic doctor Thomas Aquinas said, ‘The cross exemplifies every virtue.’

For an example of friendship, we must turn to the cross!

If we seek patience, we must turn to the cross!

To find an example of humility, we must turn to the cross!

To learn obedience, we must turn to the cross!

To opt for and live in poverty, we must turn to the cross!

For Christians, the shape of love is CROSS, not the heart!

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar