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Homily - The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
by Fr. Daren J. Zehnle
The Solemnity of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross [1]
On this most solemn of days, dear brothers and sisters, we have come to rejoice
in a piece of wood; we exult in that wood on which hung the Savior of the world.
It is right that "we should glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, for he
is our salvation, our life and our resurrection; through him we are saved and
made free."[2]
For the ancient peoples the cross was the ultimate sign of terror and dread and
in this very sign that the world sees as the greatest humiliation and
degradation we see the sign of victory that has saved us! We come today to
venerate and praise that instrument of our salvation, the cross of Christ.
What is the cross if not the scale that weighed the price of our salvation? The
sins of us all were weighed against the life of Christ. Our life came at a very
great price, indeed! This cross, the greatest scale of all, fully satisfied the
bond of our damnation and released us from our ancient debt incurred through
sin.
The cross is, as it were, that great lever that lifted the world and restored it
to harmony with the Creator. Under the standard of the cross we find protection
from evil, though it does yet realize that Christ has won the victory once for
all! While we sat in darkness, the cross transformed us into children of light
(cf. Matthew 4:16 and Ephesians 5:8); while we were enemies, it made us members
of the household of God; and when we were slaves the cross made us children of
God the Father.
It was through wood – through the tree of the knowledge of good and evil – that
the prince of pride subjected us to the slavery of sin (cf. Genesis 3:1-24), and
it was through wood – the wood of the cross – that the Author of Humility
received as his children and as his heirs of grace. Through wood, the Devil
subjected us to exile, and through wood the Most High King declared us heirs to
his kingdom. Through wood we were reduced to feeding swine and wanting slop, and
through wood we were received into our Father's embrace (cf. Luke 15:12-32).
In short, it was through a piece of wood that we lost friendship with the Lord –
the tree of knowledge through which the serpent deceived our first parents,
deceiving them into thinking that they, too, in their pride, could be like God.
It was a piece of wood that put us in opposition with our Creator and so it is
fitting that another piece of wood should bring us salvation. It was on a piece
of wood that Moses lifted up the serpent of bronze when the Lord commanded the
people to look upon it and be healed (cf. Numbers 21:4-9). In doing so, Moses
gave us a sign to remember when the one true cross would come; it is a sign that
the Lord has promised never to abandon us to ourselves.
You must remember, dear brothers and sisters, that on the Day of Judgment each
of us must stand before the Lord to give an account of our lives. The holy cross
will be carried solemnly in the arms of angels and placed before all of
humanity. It will not be adorned with jewels or gold, for what could be more
honorable, more precious, than the Blood of the Lamb? God himself will make this
cross, this wood, shine more brightly than all of the stars of heaven.
The cross will be the new scales of justice on which we will be weighed and be
found either lacking or accepted. The measure against which we will be weighed
is none other than the measure of Christ's own cross: how much have you loved
(cf. John 13:34)?
You can be sure of this, that those who lovingly embraced the cross throughout
their lives will receive their glory. You can be sure of this, as well, that
those who refused to take up the cross will know only disgrace.
The cross is a footpath to those of us just beginning on the journey of faith, a
highway for those of us fighting the good fight, and a secure resting place for
those who have been good and faithful servants.
For the cross of Christ is the way. "Whoever wishes to come after must deny
himself, take up his cross, and follow me," says the Lord. "For whoever wishes
to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that
of the gospel will save it" (Mark 8:34-35).
To the world the cross looks like hardship and pain, but to those of us who
believe, it is a fortress against the night and an oasis against the heat. The
cross bears momentary death only to reward us with eternal life. It robs us of
earthly things only to compensate us with things from heaven itself. It
instructs us in humility in order that we too might be exalted like the Lord our
Savior.
All of the world's wisdom has stood in opposition to the cross, and yet here we
are. All of the world's wisdom sees the cross as a sign of defeat and failure,
and yet here are. All of the world's wisdom tells us that the cross is not the
way, that we must be strong and independent, and yet here we are, bending down,
as it were, to kiss the holy cross.
Do not think, my brothers and sisters, that the world can be right. If you
believe that acceptance of the cross or the practice of humility is a sign of
weakness and failure, then you do not know the truth. For only cowards rely on
brute strength, and only weaklings prey on the vulnerable. The cross is the very
fulcrum which has turned the world upside down – where once there was evil
sitting on the throne, now there is love.
That is what we come here to remember. For we preach Christ crucified, to the
Jews a scandal and to Gentiles foolishness but God's foolishness is wiser than
any human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than any human strength and so,
for us who believe, Jews and Gentiles alike, the cross of Christ is nothing less
than the power, the wisdom and the glory of God.
O blessed cross, O holy cross, more valuable are you than all the gold of the
world, more brilliant are you than any jewels of the earth, for it is through
you that we have indeed been saved. May we be found worthy to carry you with our
Savior, and be raised with him to heavenly glory. Amen!
References
[1] Adapted from the homily of St. Peter Damian on the occasion of the Solemnity
of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and of a homily of the Rev. Michael Fuller,
adapted from the same homily of St. Peter Damian. Both in C. Colt Anderson,
Christian Eloquence: Contemporary Doctrinal Preaching (Chicago, Illinois:
Hillenbrand Books, 2005), 108-125 and 226-228.
[2] Entrance antiphon of the day.
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