“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Cor. 1:18)
The Church has some peculiar observances. One such “feast” occurs every year on September 14: Holy Cross Day. This day is observed in both East and West where it is known as “the exaltation of the cross” and “the triumph of the cross.”
Celebrating the saving work of Christ in His conception, birth, baptism, transfiguration, death, resurrection, and ascension, along with remembering the Patriarchs and Saints, has long been the custom of the church calendar. But what about inanimate objects — a crossbeam of wood and its vertical support?
The focus of this feast day is not on the instrument of the crucifixion per se but rather the person mounted to it and the event known as the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth.
It is the crucified Christ that renders the crucifix (or, simply, “the cross”) meaningful and significant. While Good Friday is dedicated to the Passion of Christ and the crucifixion, Holy Cross feast day draws into sustained focus the instrument of salvation and the throne of our God and King, Jesus of Nazareth.
Lutheran Pastor John Bombaro commenting on this day says,
“Our forefathers dedicated Holy Cross Day to jolt the Church into remembrance that Christianity is not principally about ethics. It was the cross on the hill rather than the Sermon on the Mount that produced the impact of Christianity upon the world. Let the world not forget it, nor especially the Church.”
Notwithstanding the sanitizing efforts by many, the cross cannot be marginalized within, let alone eliminated from, biblical Christian faith. The identity and relevance of Christianity are both irrevocably tied up with the crucified Christ.
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; a processional cross as the centering piece to the Divine Service; the “little” Sign of the Cross on head, lips and heart at the reading of the Gospel; or praying the Stations (or Way) of the Cross during the Lenten season.
The Proper Preface for this Feast Day highlights the cross in this way:
It is truly good, right and our joy that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who accomplished the salvation of mankind by the tree of the cross that, where death arose, there life also might rise again and that the serpent who overcame by the tree of the garden might likewise by the tree of the cross be overcome.
The Christian faith, then, is not first and foremost about ideas or concepts, a philosophy of ethics, or a way of life, even though it may give rise to them. At its heart lies an event in human history, an event in which God was engaged in the most intimate endeavor between the Creator and the creature, between life and death, through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The cross, on which our Savior was crucified, marks the beginning of the end for sin, death, and the devil.
On the feast of the Holy Cross day we celebrate Jesus’ saving work on the cross, remembering that only God can turn a symbol of torture and death into a symbol of victory and triumph. Let us join our hearts and minds to proclaim with all the Church to know nothing, “…except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2)
Things to Do:
Study different symbols and types of crosses, history and/or significance. Then have an art project creating your own crosses.
Pray the Stations of the Cross. Point out particularly the phrase repeated at each station:
We adore You, O Christ, and praise You,
Because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.Make sure that crucifixes are displayed prominently throughout your home. Point out the crucifix in every room even to the smallest ones.
Gift your wife/daughters/granddaughters a crucifix neckless. A crucifix is also an appropriate gift for your husband/sons/grandsons.
Practice making the Sign of the Cross with your children.
Make a dessert in the form of a cross, or decorated with a cross.
Sing a hymn on the theme of the cross: Life High the Cross, The Old Rugged Cross, Oh the Power of the Cross, etc.
Read the various Scripture passages that speak of the role of the cross in Christ’s work of redemption: Numbers 21:4-9, 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, John 3:13-17, John 12:20-32.