On Sept. 14, the church celebrated the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, our parish feast day. Normally, we would gather as a parish to festively celebrate the feast. However, this year we did not come together as before. Nevertheless, in the cross we are still united; we are still church.
The aspect of a universal and complete redemption through the cross makes the cross a triumphant symbol of God’s love and mercy that embraces all. For this reason, the church exalts the cross of Christ. It is a symbol of hope to the sinner and of unity for all peoples. It is the symbol that unites all Christians and identifies us to non-Christians. It is central to preaching the Gospel; the cross is “the power of God and the wisdom of God” (see 1 Cor 1:23).
The cross is not a dominating power, but a power that heals, unites and liberates us from the darkness of sin and division through mercy, love and reconciliation. In speaking of Christ’s obedience and his death upon the cross, Saint Paul writes about unity in which all praise Christ: “So that at Jesus’ name every knee must bend in the heavens, on the earth, and under the earth, and every tongue proclaim to the glory of God the Father: Jesus Christ is Lord!” (see Phil 2:6-11).
Saint Paul’s description of the exaltation of the Cross foreshadows the heavenly gathering of the saints who form “a great multitude which no man can number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…” (see Rv 7:9-12).
What does this mean for us now? The cross is a symbol of unity and ongoing conversion and renewal as we seek to establish God’s reign on earth now while we journey in pilgrimage toward eternal life. To embrace fully the cross of Christ (see Mt 16:24 and Lk 9:23) means to daily place Christ at the center and to unite our wills to the will of the Father.
Embracing the cross leads to the small and daily triumphs in life of love over hatred, mercy over condemnation, universal salvation over exclusiveness, and of unity over divisiveness. To embrace the cross means to work daily for reconciliation, healing and justice, always seeing the other person as my brother and sister, even when we do not agree, or the relationship is strained.
Such small triumphs and heroic deeds come about only in embracing the cross daily and in imitating Christ, following in his footsteps as best we can and with one another as church.
Father Matthew R. Weber is pastor of Holy Cross Parish, Bridgeton.
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