Today,
September 14, we celebrate the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy
Cross. There is still the usual Friday obligation of abstinence from
meat or an equivalent act of penance.
The
Crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ is the central event of
Christianity. Through our Lord's suffering and death on the holy
Cross, he brought the old law to fulfillment and made the ultimate
atonement for our sins. Through his glorious Resurrection, he gave us
the hope of eternal life. The Cross is the instrument through which
our salvation was won. For this reason, the Cross is the symbol of
Christianity. Every altar has a crucifix on or behind it. One of the
most basic signs of reverence is making the Sign of the Cross on
ourselves. Whenever a priest gives a blessing, he does so with the
Sign of the Cross. St. Paul wrote in Galatians 6:14, “But God
forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ; by whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.”
Image credit: -stevie-
A
cross is an extremely basic symbol—just
two lines at a right angle—and
so it has been used in
some form since the beginning of recorded human history. In addition,
since the beginning of history, the cross has always had some sort of
religious significance, even for primitive pagan religions. One
of the earliest forms of the cross is the swastika, a cross with each
arm bent at a right angle. The
swastika is used as a sacred symbol in India and some other places in
the Orient, primarily by Hindus and Buddhists. It represents fire and
the sun. In
ancient Egypt, there was a form of the cross called the ankh
or crux ansata
(“cross with a handle”), which resembled a cross with the top arm
replaced by a loop: ☥.
This form of the cross was used as a hieroglyphic symbol for life and
strength. It is still used by some Coptic Christians in Egypt.
Meanwhile,
in
ancient Greece, a cross resembling the familiar Christian cross was
used as
a sacred symbol in burial rituals. Perhaps
these
ancient, pre-Christian uses of the cross were a foreshadowing by
divine providence of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Finally,
the cross was used by the ancient Romans as a means of execution.
Crucifixion was the most cruel punishment imaginable, and it was
reserved for the worst of the worst. It was originally a punishment
for slaves. The
ancient Roman orator Cicero
called it “servitutis extremum summumque supplicium,” meaning,
“the final and most terrible punishment of slaves.” If a slave
murdered his master, then all of that master's slaves would be
crucified. In at least one case, four hundred slaves were crucified
at once, including women and children. Later,
crucifixion was also administered to the lowest classes of free
people who were accused of serious crimes. It was never inflicted on
a Roman citizen. Part
of the point of crucifixion was to put the victim on display and
deter others from committing similar crimes. Cicero called it “a
most cruel and disgusting punishment” and said, “The very mention
of the cross should be far removed not only from a Roman citizen's
body, but from his mind, his eyes, his ears.”
Crucifixion
continued in the Roman Empire until it was abolished in AD 337 by
Emperor Constantine the Great, who also legalized Christianity in the
Roman Empire. However,
in Islam, crucifixion is prescribed as a punishment in the Quran
(5:33), so it remains a legal form of execution in some Islamic
states, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Sudan.
The
legend of the True Cross
In
the thirteenth century, Blessed Jacobus de Varagine wrote the Golden
Legend,
a compilation of legends about saints, feasts, relics, and biblical
events. It includes the legends of how the Cross came to be.
According to the Golden
Legend,
when Adam, the first man, was sick, his third son, Seth, returned to
the Garden of Eden to acquire the oil of mercy with which to anoint
Adam. At
the entrance to the Garden of Eden, Seth found St. Michael the
Archangel guarding the entrance, who said, “Travail not thou in
vain for this oil, for thou mayst not have it till five thousand and
five hundred years be past.” The
5,500 years refer
to the institution of the New Covenant.
Instead, St. Michael gave Seth three seeds from the Tree of Knowledge
of Good and Evil. Seth planted these
seeds
in Adam's
mouth when
he was buried at the hill of Calvary.
The
trees that grew from these seeds still existed centuries later, when
the Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon. The Queen declared that
these trees would bring about the salvation of the world. The
Romans built the True Cross from these trees, the offspring of the
Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Thus, according to this medieval
legend, the same tree that brought about the fall of mankind also
brought about the salvation of mankind. Although
it is a lovely story, there is absolutely no authority to it, and it
first appeared in the Middle Ages.
The
finding of the True Cross
In
AD 326, St. Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, traveled
to Jerusalem in search of the True Cross on which Jesus died. It
had been buried by the Jews so that no Christians could come and
worship it. However, one Jew named Judas defected and gave St. Helena
the location of the True Cross. When he did this, according to the
Golden
Legend,
the devil cried out, “Judas, what hast thou done? Thou hast done
the contrary that the other Judas did, for by him I have won nany
souls, and by thee I shall lose many, by him I reigned on the people,
and by thee I have lost my realm, nevertheless I shall yield to thee
this bounty, for I shall send one that shall punish thee.” Judas
was later baptized and became St. Cyriacus.
St.
Helena
discovered three crosses, and, at the order of St. Macarius, Bishop
of Jerusalem, she brought them to the home of a gravely ill woman.
The woman touched all three crosses.
Two of them had no effect, but the third one healed her the instant
she touched it. St. Helena knew that this third cross was the True
Cross. From
the seventh century until 1960, the feast of the Invention of the
Holy Cross, celebrating St. Helena's discovery, was celebrated on May
3.
St.
Helena
and Emperor Constantine built the Church of the Holy Sepulchre over
the hill of Calvary where the Cross was found. The Church of the Holy
Sepulchre was consecrated over two days, September 13 and 14, AD 335.
This is the origin of the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
on September 14.
Returning
the Cross to Jerusalem from Persia
In
AD 614, King
Chosroes of Persia raided Jerusalem, murdered thousands of
Christians, and took
the True Cross to Persia. Fourteen
years later, in AD 628, the Christian Emperor Heraclius defeated King
Chosroes and sought to restore the True Cross to Jerusalem.
The next year,
he arrived in Jerusalem with the True Cross and came to the hill of
Calvary, adorned
as an emperor with gold and jewels.
However, he was unable to carry the Cross up the hill. God held him
back. Bishop
Zacharias, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, told him, “See, O Emperor,
that it be not that in carrying the Cross attired in the guise of a
Conqueror thou showest too little of the poverty and lowliness of
Jesus Christ.” Emperor
Heraclius took off his imperial adornments and his shoes. Dressed as
a humble peasant, he carried the Cross up the hill and planted it in
its rightful place on the hill of Calvary on September 14, AD 629, on
the 294th
anniversary of the consecration of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Since then, the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross has been
celebrated by the whole Church on September 14.
Liturgy
of the
feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
At
Matins and
Lauds
on this day, we sing the hymn Pange
lingua gloriosi,
composed by
St. Venantius Fortunatus in the seventh century. It is not to be
confused with another hymn, also called Pange
lingua gloriosi,
composed by St. Thomas Aquinas in the thirteenth century. The hymn by
St. Venantius Fortunatus consists of ten stanzas. The first five plus
a doxology are sung at Matins, and the next five plus a doxology are
sung at Lauds. The
entire hymn is also sung at the Adoration of the Cross on Good
Friday. It
sings of our Lord's triumph over sin and death through the power of
the Cross.
At Matins
Pange,
lingua, gloriósi
Láuream
certáminis,
Et
super Crucis trophǽo
Dic
triúmphum nóbilem,
Quáliter
Redémptor orbis
Immolátus
vícerit.
De
paréntis protoplásti
Fraude
Factor cóndolens,
Quando
pomi noxiális
In
necem morsu ruit,
Ipse
lignum tunc notávit,
Damna
ligni ut sólveret.
Hoc
opus nostræ salútis
Ordo
depopóscerat,
Multifórmis
proditóris
Ars
ut artem fálleret,
Et
medélam ferret inde,
Hostis
unde lǽserat.
Quando
venit ergo sacri
Plenitúdo
témporis,
Missus
est ab arce Patris
Natus,
orbis Cónditor,
Atque
ventre virgináli
Carne
amíctus pródiit.
Vagit
infans inter arcta
Cónditus
præsépia:
Membra
pannis involúta
Virgo
Mater álligat:
Et
Dei manus pedésque
Stricta
cingit fáscia.
Sempitérna
sit beátæ
Trinitáti
glória,
Æqua
Patri, Filióque;
Par
decus Paráclito:
Uníus
Triníque nomen
Laudet
univérsitas.
Amen.
Lustra
sex qui iam perégit,
Tempus
implens córporis:
Sponte
líbera Redémptor
Passióni
déditus:
Agnus
in Crucis levátur
Immolándus
stípite.
Felle
potus ecce languet,
Spina,
clavi, láncea,
Mite
corpus perforárunt,
Unda
manat, et cruor:
Terra,
pontus, astra, mundus,
Quo
lavántur flúmine!
Crux
fidélis, inter omnes
Arbor
una nóbilis:
Silva
talem nulla profert
Fronde,
flore, gérmine:
Dulce
ferrum, dulce lignum
Dulce
pondus sústinent.
Flecte
ramos, arbor alta,
Tensa
laxa víscera:
Et
rigor lentéscat ille,
Quem
dedit natívitas:
Et
supérni membra Régis
Tende
miti stípite.
Sola
digna tu fuísti
Ferre
mundi víctimam;
Atque
portum præparáre
Arca
mundo náufrago;
Quam
sacer cruor perúnxit,
Fusus
Agni córpore.
Sempitérna
sit beátæ
Trinitáti
glória:
Æqua
Patri, Filióque,
Par
decus Paráclito:
Uníus,
Triníque nomen
Laudet
univérsitas.
Amen.
|
At Matins
Sing,
my tongue, the glorious battle
Sing
the last, the dread affray;
O'er
the cross, the victor's trophy,
Sound
the high triumphal lay:
Tell
how Christ, the world's Redeemer,
As
a victim won the day.
God,
his Maker, sorely grieving
That
the first-made Adam fell,
When
he ate the fruit of sorrow,
Whose
reward was death and hell,
Noted
then this wood, the ruin
Of
the ancient wood to quell.
For
the work of our salvation
Needs
would have his order so,
And
the multiform deceiver's
Art
by art would overthrow,
And
from thence would bring the med'cine
Whence
the insult of the foe.
Wherefore,
when the sacred fullness
Of
the appointed time was come,
This
world's Maker left his Father,
Sent
the heav'nly mansion from,
And
proceeded, God Incarnate,
Of
the Virgin's holy womb.
Weeps
the infant in the manger
That
in Bethlehem's stable stands;
And
his limbs the Virgin Mother
Doth
compose in swaddling bands,
Meetly
thus in linen folding
Of
her God the feet and hands.
To
the Trinity be glory
Everlasting,
as is meet;
Equal
to the Father, equal
To
the Son, and Paraclete:
Trinal
Unity, whose praises
All
created things repeat.
Amen.
Thirty
years among us dwelling,
His
appointed time fulfilled,
Born
for this, he meets his passion,
For
that this he freely willed:
On
the cross the Lamb is lifted,
Where
his life-blood shall be spilled.
He
endured the nails, the spitting,
Vinegar,
and spear, and reed;
From
that holy body broken
Blood
and water forth proceed:
Earth,
and stars, and sky, and ocean,
By
that flood from stain are free.
Faithful
cross! above all other,
One
and only noble tree!
None
in foliage, none in blossom,
None
in fruit thy peers may be;
Sweetest
wood and sweetest iron!
Sweetest
weight is hung on thee.
Bend
thy boughs, O tree of glory!
Thy
relaxing sinews bend;
For
awhile the ancient rigour,
That
thy birth bestowed, suspend;
And
the King of heavenly beauty
On
thy bosom gently tend!
Thou
alone wast counted worthy
This
world's ransom to uphold;
For
a shipwrecked race preparing
Harbour,
like the ark of old;
With
the sacred blood anointed
From
the smitten Lamb that rolled.
To
the Trinity be glory
Everlasting,
as is meet;
Equal
to the Father, equal
To
the Son, and Paraclete:
Trinal
Unity, whose praises
All
created things repeat.
Amen.
|
The
readings from the first nocturn of Matins are from Numbers 21:1-9. In
the first reading, Numbers 21:1-3, the Lord destroys all enemies of
Israel. In the second reading, Numbers 21:4-6, the people begin to
doubt God and have little faith that God would care for them, so as a
punishment, God sends venomous snakes to bite and kill them. In the
third reading, Numbers 21:6-9, God commands Moses to make a bronze
serpent so that all who look upon this bronze serpent could be cured.
This bronze serpent foreshadows the Holy Cross. In John 3:14, Jesus
says, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the
Son of man be lifted up.” In the second nocturn, the readings tell
the story of the True Cross's return from Persia by Emperor
Heraclius, as described above. Finally, in the third nocturn, the
readings are from St. Leo the Great's eighth sermon on the Passion of
Christ.
Reading
7
Léctio
sancti Evangélii secúndum Ioánnem In illo témpore: Dixit Iesus turbis Iudæórum: Nunc iudícium est mundi, nunc princeps huius mundi eiciétur foras. Et réliqua. Homilía sancti Leónis Papæ Exaltato, dilectíssimi, per Crucem Christo, non illa tantum spécies aspéctui mentis occúrrat, quæ fuit in óculis impiórum, quibus per Móysen dictum est: Et erit péndens vita tua ante óculos tuos, et timébis die ac nocte, et non credes vitæ tuæ. Isti enim nihil in crucifíxo Dómino præter fácinus suum cogitáre potuérunt, habéntes timórem, non quo fides vera iustificátur, sed quo consciéntia iníqua torquétur. Noster vero intelléctus, quem spíritus veritátis illúminat, glóriam Crucis, cælo terráque radiántem, puro ac líbero corde suscípiat; et interióre ácie vídeat, quale sit quod Dóminus, cum de passiónis suæ loquerétur instántia, dixit: Nunc iudícium mundi est, nunc princeps huius mundi eiciétur foras. Et ego, si exaltátus fúero a terra, ómnia traham ad meípsum. |
From
the Holy Gospel according to John
At
that time, Jesus said unto the multitudes of the Jews: Now is the
judgment of this world, now shall the prince of this world be cast
out. And so on.
Homily
by Pope St. Leo the Great.
Dearly
beloved brethren, when we gaze upon Christ lifted up upon the
Cross, the eyes of our mind see more than that which appeared
before the wicked, unto whom it was said through Moses: And thy
life shall hang in doubt before thee, and thou shalt fear day and
night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life. They saw in the
crucified Lord nothing but the work of their own wickedness, and
they feared greatly, not with that faith which giveth earnest of
life by justification, but with that whereby the evil conscience
is tortured. But our understanding is enlightened by the Spirit of
truth, and with pure and open hearts we see the glory of the Cross
shining over heaven and earth, and discern by inward glance what
the Lord meant when his
Passion was nigh at hand, and he
said: Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the prince of
this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth,
will draw all things unto me. |
Reading
8
O admirábilis poténtia Crucis! o ineffábilis glória Passiónis, in qua et tribúnal Dómini, et iudícium mundi, et potéstas est Crucifixi! Traxísti enim, Dómine, ómnia ad te, et cum expandísses tota die manus tuas ad pópulum non credéntem et contradicéntem, tibi, confiténdæ maiestátis tuæ sensum totus mundus accépit. Traxísti, Dómine, ómnia ad te, cum in exsecratiónem Iudaici scéleris, unam protulérunt ómnia eleménta senténtiam; cum, obscurátis lumináribus cæli et convérso in noctem die, terra quoque mótibus quaterétur insólitis, univérsaque creatúra impiórum úsui se negáret. Traxísti, Dómine, ómnia ad te, quóniam, scisso templi velo, Sancta sanctórum ab indígnis pontifícibus recessérunt; ut figúra in veritátem, prophetía in manifestatiónem, et lex in Evangélium verterétur. | How wonderful is the power of the Cross! O how unutterable is the glory of the Passion, wherein standeth the Lord's judgment-seat, and the judgment of this world, and the might of the Crucified! Lord! Thou hast drawn all things unto thee! Thou didst spread out thy hands all the day unto an unbelieving and gainsaying people, but the world hath felt and owned thy Majesty! Lord! Thou hast drawn all things unto thee! All the elements gave one wild cry of horror at the iniquity of the Jews the lights of the firmament were darkened, day turned into night, earth quaked with strange tremblings, and all God's work refused to serve the guilty. Lord! Thou hast drawn all things unto thee! The veil of the Temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom, the Holy of Holies denied itself as a Sanctuary for the ministration of unworthy Priests, that the shadow might be changed for the substance, prophecy for realization, and the Law for the Gospel. |
Reading
9
Traxísti, Dómine, ómnia ad te, ut, quod in uno Iudǽæ templo obumbrátis significatiónibus tegebátur, pleno apertóque sacraménto universárum ubíque natiónum devótio celebráret. Nunc étenim et ordo clárior levitárum, et dígnitas ámplior seniórum, et sacrátior est únctio sacerdótum: quia Crux tua ómnium fons benedictiónum, ómnium est causa gratiárum; per quam credéntibus datur virtus de infirmitáte, glória de oppróbrio, vita de morte. Nunc étiam, carnálium sacrificiórum varietáte cessánte, omnes differéntias hostiárum una córporis et sánguinis tui implet oblátio: quóniam tu es verus Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccáta mundi; et ita in te univérsa pérficis mystéria, ut sicut unum est pro omni víctima sacrifícium, ita unum de omni gente sit regnum. | Lord! Thou hast drawn all things unto thee! That which was veiled under types and shadows in the one Jewish Temple, is hailed by the love of all peoples in full and open worship. There is now a higher order of Levites, a more honourable rank of elders, a Priesthood with an holier anointing. Thy Cross is a well of blessings for all, and a cause of thanksgiving for all. Thereby for them that believe in thee, weakness is turned into strength, shame into glory, and death into life. The changing ordinance of divers carnal sacrifices is gone; the one oblation of thy Body and Blood fulfilleth them all. For thou art the true Lamb of God, which takest away the sins of the world, and art in thyself all offerings finished. And even as thou art the one sacrifice which taketh the place of all sacrifices, so may thy kingdom be one kingdom established over all peoples. |
At
Mass, the Epistle is taken from Philippians 2:5-11. In this passage,
St. Paul writes of Jesus's humility and his ultimate triumph over the
Cross. Because of this triumph over the Cross, the Name of Jesus is
exalted above every other name. All genuflect in adoration of the
Holy Name of Jesus when the subdeacon sings the words, “Ut in
nomine Iesu omne genu flectátur coeléstium, terréstrium et
infernórum” (“So that at the name of Jesus every knee should
bend of those in heaven, on earth and under the earth”).
Fratres: Hoc enim sentíte in vobis, quod et in Christo Iesu: qui, cum in forma Dei esset, non rapinam arbitrátus est esse se æquálem Deo: sed semetípsum exinanívit, formam servi accipiens, in similitudinem hóminum factus, et hábitu inventus ut homo. Humiliávit semetípsum, factus oboediens usque ad mortem, mortem autem crucis. Propter quod et Deus exaltávit illum: et donávit illi nomen, quod est super omne nomen: GENUFLECT ut in nomine Iesu omne genu flectátur coeléstium, terréstrium et infernórum: et omnis lingua confiteátur, quia Dóminus Iesus Christus in glória est Dei Patris. | Brethren: Have this mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who though he was by nature God, did not consider being equal to God a thing to be clung to, but emptied himself, taking the nature of a slave and being made like unto men. And appearing in the form of man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even to death on a cross. Therefore God also has exalted him and has bestowed upon him the name that is above every name, GENUFLECT so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven, on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father. |
The
Gradual is taken from Philippians 2:8-9, two
verses from the Epistle we just heard. The Alleluia verse is
paraphrased from the hymn Pange
lingua gloriosi from
Lauds.
Christus
factus est pro nobis oboediens usque ad mortem, mortem autem
crucis. Propter quod et Deus exaltávit illum, et dedit illi
nomen, quod est super omne nomen. Allelúia, allelúia. Dulce lignum, dulces clavos, dúlcia ferens póndera: quæ sola fuísti digna sustinére Regem coelórum et Dóminum. Allelúia. |
Christ
became obedient for us to death, even to death on a cross.
Therefore God also has exalted him, and has bestowed upon him the
name that is above every name. Alleluia, alleluia. Sweet the wood, sweet the nails, sweet the load that hangs on you: to bear up the King and Lord of heaven, you alone were worthy. Alleluia. |
The
Gospel is taken from John 12:31-36, in which Jesus foretells his
Passion and Death on the Cross. He declares that he will be lifted up
from the earth and will draw all things to himself through the Cross.
In illo témpore: Dixit Iesus turbis Iudæórum: Nunc iudícium est mundi: nunc princeps huius mundi eiiciétur foras. Et ego si exaltátum fuero a terra, ómnia traham ad meipsum. (Hoc autem dicébat, signíficans qua morte esset moritúrus.) Respóndit ei turba. Nos audívimus ex lege, quia Christus manet in ætérnum: et quómodo tu dicis: Opórtet exaltári Fílium hóminis? Quis est iste Fílius hóminis? Dixit ergo eis Iesus: Adhuc módicum lumen in vobis est. Ambuláte, dum lucem habétis, ut non vos ténebræ comprehéndant: et qui ámbulat in ténebris, nescit, quo vadat. Dum lucem habétis, crédite in lucem, ut fílii lucis sitis. | At that time, Jesus said to the multitude of the Jews: Now is the judgment of the world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to myself. (Now this he said, signifying what death he should die.) The multitude answered him: We have heard out of the law, that Christ abideth for ever; and how sayest thou: The Son of man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of man? Jesus therefore said to them: Yet a little while, the light is among you. Walk whilst you have the light, that the darkness overtake you not. And he that walketh in darkness, knoweth not whither he goeth. Whilst you have the light, believe in the light, that you may be the children of light. These things Jesus spoke; and he went away, and hid himself from them. |
Thus,
through this beautiful and sacred liturgy, the Catholic Church
venerates and adores the Holy Cross, on which our salvation was
purchased.
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