There is a story of a woman who went to a jewellery store to buy a cross. After perusing the crosses presented to her, the jeweller said he had some more crosses in the back, with a little man on them!
Bishop Robert Barron offers this reflection on this scenario: “We are so accustomed to seeing religious images of Jesus on the cross that much of the horror and humiliation of crucifixion is lost on us. But, for a person of the first century, operating within the confines of the Roman Empire, crucifixion was about the worst thing he or she could imagine. What was involved in that form of capital punishment was just too vividly present in the popular imagination.”
Salvador Dali, a genius of obscure art and brilliant talent, painted a painting called Christ of St John of the Cross. I think it is an astonishing painting. It shows Jesus on the Cross, but from above. Someone once pointed out that that was the point from which God surveyed the suffering of his Son. I find that very poignant, sad and wonderful.
And it is with all this in mind that I want to approach the Finding, or the Exaltation, or the Triumph of the Cross — the day that we and the Church are celebrating today. And, of course, today is a very special day for the Brothers, since we are members of the Order of the Holy Cross.
Without Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross, today’s celebration would not have happened. As a matter of fact, we might all have been in the Synagogue yesterday, if there hadn’t been “a little man on the cross”.
However, let us look a bit to the history of what brought us here today and not to the Synagogue yesterday.
The story of the Finding of the Cross begins in the early 4th century, during the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great. After his conversion to Christianity, Constantine’s mother, Helena, embarked on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Her mission was bold yet humble: to uncover the sacred sites of Christ’s life, including the cross on which he was crucified. At that time, Jerusalem was a city transformed by Roman rule. The site of Golgotha had been buried under a pagan temple, built to erase the memory of Christ’s sacrifice. Yet, Helena, guided by faith and unwavering determination, sought to reclaim what was holy.
Tradition tells us that Helena, through prayer and divine guidance, located the site of the Crucifixion. Excavations revealed three crosses, along with nails and the sign that read “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews”. To determine which was the True Cross, Bishop Macarius of Jerusalem performed a test: a dying woman was touched by each cross, and when the True Cross made contact, she was miraculously healed. This moment, which we celebrate today, confirmed the cross’s authenticity and its enduring power as a symbol of Christ’s victory over death.
What can we learn from St. Helena’s quest? Her journey teaches us the power of faith in action. She was not deterred by the passage of time, the layers of earth, or the scepticism of others. Like Helena, we are called to seek Christ in the midst of a world that often obscures his presence. Her perseverance reminds us that God reveals his truth to those who seek him with a sincere heart.
In Isaiah today, we hear the Lord proclaim, “There is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Saviour; there is no one besides me. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth!”
The cross of Jesus is the ultimate fulfilment of this promise. On the cross, God’s righteousness and salvation meet. The cross reveals a God who does not save from afar but enters into the depths of human suffering to redeem us. Isaiah tells us that “every knee shall bow” and “every tongue shall swear” allegiance to this God. This is not a forced submission but a joyful response to the One who has triumphed over sin and death through the cross. The cross exalts God’s power to save, drawing all people to himself, from every corner of the earth.
Turning to Philippians, we encounter one of the most beautiful passages in Scripture, a song of Christ’s humility and exaltation. Paul writes, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.” Jesus, the eternal Son of God, chose the path of humility. He did not cling to divine privilege but poured himself out, becoming obedient even to the point of death; death on a cross.
The cross, in human terms, is the lowest point, a place of humiliation and defeat. Yet, Paul tells us that, because of this obedience, “God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend.” The cross is not the end of the story; it is the beginning and the doorway to exaltation. Through his self-emptying love, Jesus transforms the cross into a symbol of victory, where his name is lifted high, and all creation is called to worship him.
What does this mean for us? Paul urges us to have the “same mind” as Christ. The cross calls us to humility, to lay aside our pride and self-interest, to serve others as Christ served us. It challenges us to see glory not in worldly power but in unselfish love. When we take up our crosses, as Jesus calls us to do, we share in his humility and, ultimately, in his exaltation.
Finally, in John, Jesus himself speaks about the cross. He says, “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out.” The Message refers to the ruler of this world as the devil. I was pondering on what this judgement might look like, and I was reminded of a valuable lesson Br Andrew, my novice master of blessed memory, taught me in my novitiate.
I was bemoaning injustices in the world and perceived injustices I have suffered and demanded the wheel turn and there be justice! Obviously the justice had to be as I prescribed. He looked at me with a very bemused expression and said, “OK, so you die, you get into heaven, and the first person you encounter is Hitler. What do you do? Turn around and go to hell? Of course not: judgement is God’s!”
And since the cross is such a radical place of transformation, what if this judgement may be something like this (and let’s continue with Hitler). I imagine he might have been a person with a lack of empathy and kindness. What if at his death he was met by a young Jewish child, who showers him with love and kindness, and this shatters his heart with understanding of his actions, and even better, a proper understanding of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. And God says, “Welcome, your sins are forgiven!” What a wonderful God we have!
And then Jesus continues, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
John tells us that Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death Jesus was to die. Jesus goes on to say, “While you have the light, walk in the light, so you may become children of the light.” The cross is not just a sign of judgement, but is also a beacon of light, revealing God’s love and truth. When Jesus is lifted up on the cross, he doesn’t draw all people to himself by force, but by the power of his love. And, as always, we are free to choose this love or to ignore it . Choose wisely!
The cross is a sign of hope, a light that shines in the darkness, calling us to walk in truth and love. Love above all.
This means living with the awareness that Christ’s love has overcome the darkness. It means trusting that love when the world around us feels heavy with suffering and fear, both ours and everyone else’s. It means allowing the cross to shape our lives, to guide our choices, and to draw us closer to Jesus, and to each other.
So, having said all this, what does the Exaltation of the Cross mean for us today?
The Scriptures show us that the cross is the place where God’s saving power, Christ’s humility, and the light of the world converge. It is a symbol of death that brings life, a mark of shame that brings glory, a suffering that declares glory.
So, as we honour the Cross today, we must do more than admire it from a distance. We are invited to participate in its mystery. We are called to turn to the God who saves and forgives; we are called to embrace the humility of Christ, and we are called to walk in the light of the cross.
And Jesus calls us to pick up our crosses and follow him. Let us carry it with courage, secure in God’s love. Let us share its light with a world in need of hope, showing through our actions the love that was poured out for all on that sacred cross.