Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Scripture:
Numbers 21:4b-9
Philippians 2:6-11
John 3:13-17
Reflection:
Today is dedicated to the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
‘Exalt’ has several meanings, but let’s consider ‘raise in honor’ and ‘stimulate the imagination.’
In a Catholic sanctuary, the first objects we likely see are an altar and a cross. Above the altar, the cross has indeed been exalted, ‘raised in honor.’ The cross may be so large it extends to the ceiling. Or it may be a small brass cross sitting atop a small altar.
How might these sights stimulate our imaginations? Remember that we Christians inherited altars from Old Testament days. And what is an altar? It’s a butcher block. A priest of the Old Testament, especially on festival days, would serve maybe dozens or hundreds of people who needed him to butcher a bird or a livestock animal as a sacrifice. Priests of the Old Testament and their altars were both drenched in blood for many hours at a time. Our church altars look more like creative art than butcher blocks, don’t they? At least, it’s easy to forget about an altar’s original purpose.
God’s sacrifice, the sacrifice of his son, happened on a hill called Golgotha, a blood-covered altar in its own right. Doves, pigeons, lambs, goats, and bulls bled out on ancient altars. Around 33 A.D, so did God’s son, whom we call the Lamb of God.
The priests of the Old Testament likely ended animals’ lives more humanely than the butchers did to Jesus on the road to the cross and upon the cross. When we read, pray, and sing that Jesus was the Lamb of God, we get reminded of the enormity of God’s sacrifice that calls attention to our horrifying sinfulness yet, astonishingly, still opens the gates of heaven. When we pray that we will forgive those who trespass against us, how can we not forgive others, as God has, and keep our doors open for those offenders, as God did?
Jack Dermody is the editor of the CrossRoads bulletin for the Passionist Alumni Association and a member of the Migration Commission for Holy Cross Province. He lives in Glendale, Arizona.