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For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that
everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have
eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to
condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through
him. John 3:16–17
If Jesus would never have given His life on a cross for the
salvation of the world, then a cross would never have been seen in
“exultation.” A cross, in and of itself, is an instrument of death,
a horrific and violent death. It’s also an instrument of
humiliation and torture. Yet, today, the Cross is seen as a holy
and blessed object. We hang crosses in our homes, wear them around
our neck, keep them in our pocket on the end of the rosary, and
spend time in prayer before them. The Cross is now an exalted image
by which we turn to God in prayer and surrender. But that is only
the case because it was on a cross that we were saved and brought
to eternal life.
If you step back and consider the amazing truth that one of the
worst instruments of torture and death is now seen as one of the
holiest of images on earth, it should be awe inspiring.
Comprehending this fact should lead us to the realization that God
can do anything and everything. God can use the worst and transform
it into the best. He can use death to bring forth life.
Though our celebration today, the “Feast of the Exaltation of the
Holy Cross,” is first and foremost a feast by which we give glory
to the Father for what He did in the Person of His divine Son, it
is also a feast by which we must humbly understand that God can
“exalt” every cross we endure in life and bring forth much grace
through them.
What is your heaviest cross? What is the source of your greatest
suffering? Most likely, as you call this to mind, it is painful to
you. Most often, our crosses and sufferings are things we seek to
rid ourselves of. We easily point to crosses in life and blame them
for a lack of happiness. We can easily think that if only this or
that were to change or be removed, then our life would be better.
So what is that cross in your life?
The truth is that whatever your heaviest cross is, there is
extraordinary potential for that cross to become an actual source
of grace in your life and in the world. But this is only possible
if you embrace that cross in faith and hope so that our Lord can
unite it to His and so that your crosses can also share in the
exaltation of Christ’s Cross. Though this is a profoundly deep
mystery of faith, it is also a profoundly deep truth of our
faith.
Reflect, today, upon your own crosses. As you do, try not to see
them as a burden. Instead, realize the potential within those
crosses. Prayerfully look at your crosses as invitations to share
in Christ’s Cross. Say “Yes” to your crosses. Choose them freely.
Unite them to Christ’s Cross. As you do, have hope that God’s glory
will come forth in your life and in the world through your free
embrace of them. Know that these “burdens” will be transformed and
become a source of exaltation in your life by the transforming
power of God.
My exalted Lord, I turn to You in my need and with the utmost
faith in Your divine power to save. Please give me the grace I need
to fully embrace every cross in my life with hope and faith in You.
Please transform my crosses so that You will be exalted through
them and so that they will become an instrument of Your glory and
grace. Jesus, I trust in You.
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