Today, we commemorate the recovery of Christ’s Cross from unbelievers and its triumphant restoration at Mount Calvary. The Church celebrates the exaltation of Christ, who died for us on the Cross, and His glorious victory over sin, death, and all the powers of hell. This victory also signifies the establishment of His Kingdom, where He reigns by grace in the souls of His followers today and will reign in them forever in glory. As St. John wrote (John 12:31-32), referring to Christ’s triumph on the Cross: “Now is the judgment of this world, now the prince of this world (the devil) will be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” Rejoice, my soul, in the triumph of your crucified King, and pray that He may establish His reign in you, lifting your heart from this earthly life and uniting it forever with Him.
To properly celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, a Christian’s attitude must align with the teachings of the Cross and the example of Christ crucified. We must reject pride, ambition, greed, and vanity, as these are condemned by the poverty and humility of the Cross. Likewise, we must turn away from worldly pleasures, which the Cross teaches us to mortify. We are called to take up our crosses and follow our crucified King, even to the point of death. This requires a constant battle against the threefold temptation that separates worldly people from the Cross of Christ: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Only by dying to the world and to ourselves can we be lifted up with Christ, crucified to the world and the world to us. By doing this, we are entitled to share in His exaltation and triumphs. But how unworthy we are, my soul, to celebrate the victories of our crucified King over death, sin, and hell, when we remain enslaved by pride, self-love, and worldly attachments to the very enemies Christ sought to defeat through His death!
St. Paul’s attitude towards the Cross is clear in Galatians 2:19-20: “With Christ, I am nailed to the Cross. I live now not I, but Christ lives in me, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” In Galatians 6:14, he proclaims, “God forbid that I should glory except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.” To the Corinthians, he states (1 Corinthians 2:2) that he resolved to know nothing among them except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. In 1 Corinthians 1:23-24, he declares that he preached nothing but Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles, but to believers, the power and wisdom of God. Paul also urged the Philippians (Philippians 3:17-18) to follow his example and warned them with tears about worldly, pleasure-seeking Christians, whom he called enemies of the Cross of Christ. How highly did the Cross reign in Paul’s heart! It controlled him completely. His love and esteem for the Cross exalted him to share in Christ’s sufferings, and ultimately to the eternal kingdom Christ purchased through His Cross for all true friends and followers of the Cross. How blessed are those who, like Paul, sincerely love the Cross of Christ!
Resolve, therefore, to honour the triumphs of your crucified King by placing yourself at the foot of His Cross. Stay there and listen attentively to the lessons He teaches you from His Cross. Embrace His teachings and adopt His mindset. He will show you how to bear your crosses with patience, to endure them with joy, and even to embrace them with gladness. He will dispel the false values of worldly pride, the love of wealth, and the pursuit of sensual pleasure. From His Cross, He will preach to you His truths and reveal the beauty of humility, spiritual poverty, contempt for the world, and the mortification of the flesh. His Cross is the school where He will teach you all that is good and where He will continually impart His grace to you until He draws you to Himself and makes you His forever.
Meditations by St. Richard of Sussex (Bp. Richard Challoner; meditations in modern English)
