September 14 is the Feast of the Triumph or Exaltation of the Cross. For the last two days we’ve been looking at why we exalt the cross, an instrument of death. We saw that Jesus died to destroy death for ever, so we don’t have to be under the power of death anymore. Sin leads to death. And because disobedience to God is sin, it also leads to death. It was Adam and Eve’s disobedience that led to death.
Now listen to something St. Paul says in his letter to the Philippians, which was the second reading yesterday: “He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross.” (Phil 2:8). It was because of Adam’s disobedience that sin entered into the world. St. Paul also says that, in the same way that Adam’s disobedience made us sinners, Jesus’ obedience makes us righteous (Rom 5:19).
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September 14 is the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross. Last time we looked at why we honour the Cross: Because it reminds us that Jesus died to save us.
And this is where I have a problem. Why do we need to be saved by Jesus’ death? I remember growing up learning that we are made clean, that we are redeemed by Christ’s blood, that Jesus’ death forgives all our sins. St. Peter says that we are ransomed by the blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19). But why? Why couldn’t God save us by just having one big party instead? Why death?
I’m sorry to say that we don’t have the full answer to that. It’s a Mystery. There are Mysteries to our faith — not mysteries that we have to solve, like a murder mystery — but capital “M” Mysteries because they are so awesome that there is no way to explain them. But that doesn’t mean that, “Oh, it’s a mystery and we’ll never figure it out, so let’s forget it.” No, we need to keep praying and trying to understand them. We need to dwell in their presence, because maybe we won’t understand them intellectually, but I can guarantee you that when we dwell in the presence of these Mysteries, they will transform us. And that’s what we’re trying to do here: to grow in the presence of this Mystery of the Cross.
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“Lift high the Cross, the love of Christ proclaim…”
That’s a song we all know, but what does it mean? Why do we lift high the Cross? September 14 is the feast of the Triumph of the Cross, also called the Exaltation of the Cross. Did you know that we celebrate this feast tomorrow?
Have you ever heard of St. Helena? She was the mother of Constantine. Remember that St. Constantine was the emperor who made Christianity the official religion of the whole Roman Empire in the 4th century. According to legend, St. Helena goes to Jerusalem and finds the true Cross – the actual cross on which Jesus died. Constantine had a church built over the site of the crucifixion; that’s where the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is today in the Old City of Jerusalem. The church was dedicated today, on September 13th in the year 335. The following day, September 14th, was decreed as the day when “all should celebrate the finding and exaltation of the Cross.”
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My homily for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary time, year C. The readings are Isaiah 66:18-21; Psalm 117; Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13 and Luke 13:22-30.
I can picture the Pentecostal pastor or the Baptist preacher, leaning over the pulpit and asking, “Are you saved, brothah? Are you saved, sistah?” Are you saved? That’s a question that seems to be more important to non-Catholic Christians than it is for Catholics. I mean, whenever an Evangelical has asked me if I’m saved, my response is (shrugging), “It depends.” Do you mean, do I believe in God, or do I believe in Christ? Or has Christ already saved me or do I accept the fact that He has saved me? Or do you mean, am I going to Heaven? Because I don’t know. I’d like to go to Heaven, but I don’t want to presume.
Are you going to Heaven? Now that’s a question that’s important for everyone; probably the most important question. Who wants to go to Heaven? I want to go to Heaven. The Catholic Church’s response to the “are you saved?” question is the Universal Call to Holiness. I’ve written about this before. We are all called to be holy. We are all called to be Saints. That means we are all called to go to Heaven. We are all called to salvation. That’s what it’s all about. That’s the most important thing we’ll ever do: get to Heaven!
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deacon pedro 