Holy Cross
- San Clemente, Rome
(Detail of apse mosaic, 12th century)
(Detail of apse mosaic, 12th century)
Adoramus
te, christe, et benedicimus tibi,
quia per crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
quia per crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
We
adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee,
for by thy cross thou hast redeemed the world.
for by thy cross thou hast redeemed the world.
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"For
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that
whosoever believeth in Him may not perish, but have everlasting
life."
-
John 3:16
(Douay)
On
the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross (or Triumph of the Cross) we
honor the Holy Cross by which Christ redeemed the world. The public
veneration of the Cross of Christ originated in the fourth century,
according to early accounts. The miraculous discovery of the cross on
September 14, 326, by Saint Helen, mother of Constantine, while she was
on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, is the origin of the tradition of
celebrating the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross on this date.
Constantine later built the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on the site of
her discovery of the cross. On this same pilgrimage she ordered two
other churches built: one in Bethlehem near the Grotto of the Nativity,
the other on the Mount of the Ascension, near Jerusalem.
In
the Western Church the feast came into prominence in the seventh
century — after 629, when the Byzantine emperor Heraclius restored the
Holy Cross to Jerusalem, after defeating the Persians who had stolen it.
Christians
“exalt” (raise on high) the Cross of Christ as the instrument of our
salvation. Adoration of the Cross is, thus, adoration of Jesus Christ,
the God Man, who suffered and died on this Roman instrument of torture
for our redemption from sin and death. The cross represents the One
Sacrifice by which Jesus, obedient even unto death, accomplished our
salvation. The cross is a symbolic summary of the Passion, Crucifixion
and Resurrection of Christ — all in one image.
The
Cross — because of what it represents — is the most potent and
universal symbol of the Christian faith. It has inspired both liturgical
and private devotions: for example, the Sign of the Cross, which is an
invocation of the Holy Trinity; the “little” Sign of the Cross on head,
lips, and heart at the reading of the Gospel; praying the Stations (or
Way) of the Cross; and the Veneration of the Cross by the faithful on
Good Friday by kissing the feet of the image of Our Savior crucified.
Placing
a crucifix (the cross with an image of Christ’s body upon it) in
churches and homes, in classrooms of Catholic schools and in other
Catholic institutions, or wearing this image on our persons, is a
constant reminder — and witness — of Christ’s ultimate triumph, His
victory over sin and death through His suffering and dying on the Cross.
We
remember Our Lord’s words, “He who does not take up his cross and
follow me is not worthy of me. He who finds his life will lose it, and
he who loses his life for my sake shall find it” (Mt 10:38,39).
Meditating on these words we unite ourselves — our souls and bodies —
with His obedience and His sacrifice; and we rejoice in this inestimable
gift through which we have the hope of salvation and the glory of
everlasting life.
Dying,
you destroyed our death; rising you restored our life.
Save us by your cross, Christ our Redeemer.
Save us by your cross, Christ our Redeemer.
Jesus
dies upon the Cross
Meditation on the Twelfth Station by John Henry Cardinal Newman
Meditation on the Twelfth Station by John Henry Cardinal Newman
Dear Brothers
and Sisters, we are invited to look upon the Cross. It is the
“privileged place” where the love of God is revealed and shown to us.…
On the Cross human misery and divine mercy meet. The adoration of this
unlimited mercy is for man the only way to open himself to the mystery
which the Cross reveals.
The Cross is planted in the earth and would seem to extend its roots in human malice, but it reaches up, pointing as it were to the heavens, pointing to the goodness of God. By means of the Cross of Christ, the Evil One has been defeated, death is overcome, life is given to us, hope is restored, light is imparted. O Crux, ave spes unica!…
“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” (John 3:14-15), says Jesus. What do we see then when we bring our eyes to bear on the cross where Jesus was nailed (cf. John 19:37)? We contemplate the sign of God’s infinite love for humanity.
O Crux, ave spes unica! Saint Paul speaks of the same theme in the letter to the Ephesians…. Not only did Christ Jesus become man, in everything similar to human beings, but He took on the condition of a servant and humbled Himself even more by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (cf. Philippians 2:6-8).
Yes, “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son” (John 3:16). We admire — overwhelmed and gratified — the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge (cf. Ephesians 3:18-19)! O Crux, ave spes unica! …
Through the mystery of your Cross and your Resurrection, save us O Lord! Amen
The Cross is planted in the earth and would seem to extend its roots in human malice, but it reaches up, pointing as it were to the heavens, pointing to the goodness of God. By means of the Cross of Christ, the Evil One has been defeated, death is overcome, life is given to us, hope is restored, light is imparted. O Crux, ave spes unica!…
“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” (John 3:14-15), says Jesus. What do we see then when we bring our eyes to bear on the cross where Jesus was nailed (cf. John 19:37)? We contemplate the sign of God’s infinite love for humanity.
O Crux, ave spes unica! Saint Paul speaks of the same theme in the letter to the Ephesians…. Not only did Christ Jesus become man, in everything similar to human beings, but He took on the condition of a servant and humbled Himself even more by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (cf. Philippians 2:6-8).
Yes, “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son” (John 3:16). We admire — overwhelmed and gratified — the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge (cf. Ephesians 3:18-19)! O Crux, ave spes unica! …
Through the mystery of your Cross and your Resurrection, save us O Lord! Amen
— Pope John Paul II -- Excerpts from homily September 14, 2003
(The above is from http://www.wf-f.org/ExaltCross.html)
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