The Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Under the imperial rule of Constantine, his mother Helena, on a visit to the Holy Land, discovered the Holy Cross on Golgotha after a Jewish man named Judah revealed it to her. It had been hidden under a Temple of Venus built by the Emperor Hadrian and the Empress ordered the Temple to be razed. Below it, were three crosses. As a funeral processed, the Patriarch Macarius told the Empress to have each of the three crosses placed upon the dead man. The first two did nothing. The third resurrected the dead man and by this, it was revealed which one was the true Cross of Christ. The Cross was set in a silver case the Empress made for it. Later, it was captured by the Emperor Chozroes who took the city of Jerusalem. The Persian Emperor held the Cross for 14 years before the Greek Emperor Heraclius defeated Chozroes and returned it to Jerusalem. He carried it back to Jerusalem but was suddenly unable. Patriarch Zacharias saw an angel blocking him. Patriarch Zacharias revealed this vision to the Emperor and told the Emperor that he could not bring the cross back to Jerusalem unless he walked the path barefoot and humiliated. Hearing this, Heraclius took of his raiment and in ragged attire, he carried the Cross the rest of the way to Jerusalem, placing it in the Church of the Resurrection.

The Cross is a fundamental part of every day Christian life. Many of us have had a cross with us since our baptism. These are given as gifts by parents, godparents, or friends. Some of us still wear the cross we are given from our baptism around our necks or around our wrists. Mine is too small for that. I have it held on a rosary holder. I was also given another cross before I was baptized which I carry with me in my pocket. Christians generally always keep crosses with them. Jesus told his followers that unless one take up their cross and follow Him, they cannot be His disciple. The cross was an execution device in the ancient world used by the Roman government to punish those who were not citizens. No citizens could be executed on a cross. It was reserved for slaves and traitors. The cross was an execution device utilized for the lowliest of criminals. Yet the Lord of glory was crucified and accepted death upon the cross.

St. Paul speaks of the Cross as being foolish to the Gentiles and a stumbling block to the Jews. The Gentiles cannot understand how one could devote themselves to a King who had received the death of a slave. To the Gentiles, such a man is no King. Maybe a martyr at best, but no King. To the Jews, they cannot accept the reality of the Messiah as the Son of God who came to accept the lowliest of deaths. They believe any one who is hanged on a tree is accursed. St. Paul talks about this in Galatians. It is through the Cross that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law. St. Gregory Palamas distinguishes between heretics and Christians based solely on their attitude toward the Holy Cross.

"The heretics say that because Christ died nailed to the Cross, they cannot bear to see the form of the wood on which He was put to death. But where was the handwriting nailed which was drawn up against us because of our disobedience, when our forefathers stretched out his hand to a tree? How was it taken out of the way and obliterated, enabling us to return to God's blessing? ... Surely we should honor and use this divine trophy of the freedom of the whole human race. Its appearance alone puts the serpent, the originator of evil, to flight, triumphs over him and disgraces him, proclaiming him defeated and crushed. It glorifies and magnifies Christ, and displays His victory to the world. If it were really necessary to disregard the Cross because Christ suffered death on it, then His death too would be neither honorable or salutary. So how can we have been baptized into His death, as the apostle tells us (Rom. 6:3)? And how can we share in His resurrection, if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death (Rom. 6:5)?" (Homily On the Precious and Life-Giving Cross)

During the iconodulist controversies of the early medieval Church, one notable position remained consistent between those who championed the orthodox faith and those who opposed the orthodox faith of the veneration of icons. Both parties could unanimously concur that the Cross was to be venerated and was indeed a most acceptable icon to venerate. The orthodox rightfully concluded that the Cross was essential to the incarnation which had redeemed all and made every icon venerable through humanity of Christ, which could properly be represented in iconography.

"[W]e decree with full precision and care that, like the figure of the honoured and life-giving cross, the revered and holy images, whether painted or made of mosaic or of other suitable material, are to be exposed in the holy churches of God, on sacred instruments and vestments, on walls and panels, in houses and by public ways, these are the images of our Lord, God and saviour, Jesus Christ, and of our Lady without blemish, the holy God-bearer, and of the revered angels and of any of the saintly holy men." (Second Council of Nicaea)

Recently, I had a conversation with someone and asked them about why God would lay such a heavy burden upon someone even though He insists that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. They responded to me that it maybe was because He wanted to carry the burden with them. Which turned me toward reflecting upon this Feast Day. Consider Christ's walk to Golgotha. How He fell under the weight of the Cross and Simon the Cyrene was called upon by the Roman soldiers to lift the Cross and carry the Cross that Christ would be crucified under. Jesus did not have to carry His Cross alone. This was at a time when all of His apostles had fled and hidden in embarrassment and as He cried out on the Cross, "My God, my God, why has Thou forsaken me?" The only apostle remaining with Him was John. His Mother remained with Him as well as His other women disciples. And strangers were left with Him. Isolation is certainly a heavy burden, but it was a burden that He shared. He tells us to pick up our Cross and follow Him. But He didn't carry His Cross alone. His yoke is easy and His burden is light not in terms of the actual weight, but in terms of the relative weight. Because when we let Him carry our Cross, we will make it to Golgotha with Him. And when we make it to Golgotha, we will then be with Him in Paradise.