A Homily for the Feast of the Finding of the Holy Cross

+ “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.” With these words to Nicodemus Our Blessed Lord prophesied his forthcoming crucifixion—the singular event in human history, prefigured by Moses’ serpent lifted up on a pole (cf. Numbers 21: 4-9), which wrought the redemption of all of mankind and opened the possibility of eternal life and salvation to all who believe in Him. Our Lord’s brutal public execution, a scandalous travesty of justice in the eyes of any fair-minded bystander, was in fact the decisive moment in all eternity when the price for all sin was paid by the blood of the unique Saviour of the whole of humanity. To borrow the words of St Paul: well might the cross be utter folly to those without faith; but to those who believe and who persevere in working out their salvation, it is nothing less than the power of God! (Cf. 1 Cor 1:18)

It is no surprise, then—according to the tradition that was related at matins—that when, some 1,700 years ago, the devout Empress and pilgrim, Saint Helena found three crosses whilst excavating on the site of what is currently the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, and not being sure as to which if any was Our Lord’s own cross, found that one of the three had instantaneous miraculous powers, the finding of the very Cross on which our Saviour died for our sins was hailed as a great discovery and that relics of that Cross are amongst the most precious possessed by the Church and are given singularly privileged liturgical veneration. We bend our knees before it and handle it with veiled care. Yes, it is a piece of old, dead wood; but in fact it is the tree of everlasting life!

So too, mutatis mutandis, are other crosses blessed and erected in churches and chapels, in homes and places of work and education. Their material and quality may differ, but the eternal life of which they are a potent sacramental is no less real for those who have faith in in He who offered Himself in sacrifice for our sins on the Cross.

We would do well on this feast, then, to recall the importance of this sacramental and to ensure that in our daily life an image of the Cross is never very far away. Some choose to wear a cross; others like to carry one in their pocket (perhaps with a rosary); others still will put a cross in their car, or on or near their desk or place of work and, in times of difficulty and temptation, will reach for the cross and cling to it, rightly invoking the power and defence from evil that it betokens. This is not pious superstition gleaned from films and outdated literature. It is the invocation of the power of eternal life for all who have faith in the Son of man who was lifted up for our salvation.

But of course, the key here is faith. A blessed cross is not a magic charm that will automatically protect us from every evil. It is not a ‘free ticket’ to eternal life to be carried in case of emergency. No. Without faith it remains merely the wood or metal, etc., from which it is made—at best, a piece of Christian art. But when used and turned to with sincere and humble faith and repentance, a cross becomes the key that unlocks the conduit through which the grace and mercy of Almighty God flows with abundance to all who believe in Him—nothing less!

How many times do we see a cross? Let this feast serve to open our eyes ever more widely to the reality for which it stands. Let it open our hearts and minds and souls so that we shall ever more willingly embrace He who shed His blood upon it for our salvation. And, indeed, let this feast serve to give us the strength to take up our own cross and follow Our Blessed Lord ever more faithfully and fruitfully in the vocation to which He has called us. (cf. Mt 16:24)

And how many times do we make the sign of the Cross? On this feast we may do well to ask how in fact we do this, and with what consciousness. Romano Guardini advises: “When we cross ourselves, let it be with a real sign of the cross. Instead of a small, cramped gesture that gives no notion of its meaning, let us make a large, unhurried sign, from forehead to breast, from shoulder to shoulder, consciously feeling how it includes the whole of us, our thoughts, our attitudes, our body and soul, every part of us at once. how it consecrates and sanctifies us.

It does so because it is the Sign of the universe and the sign of our redemption. On the Cross Christ redeemed mankind. By the Cross he sanctifies man to the last shred and fibre of his being. We make the sign of the cross before we pray to collect and compose ourselves and to fix our minds and hearts and wills upon God. We make it when we finish praying in order that we may hold fast the gift we have received from God. In temptations we sign ourselves to be strengthened; in dangers, to be protected. The cross is signed upon us in blessings in order that the fulness of God's life may flow into the soul and fructify and sanctify us wholly.” (Sacred Signs)

“We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because, by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world,” we pray. As we now approach the altar whereupon the Sacrifice of the Cross shall be renewed, let us beg for an increase in faith in ourselves, and for its spread throughout the world, that we and many others may come to share in the eternal life for which the Son of Man was lifted up, and of which we enjoy a foretaste in this Holy Mass.