Readings: Numbers 21:4-9; Psalm 78; Philippians 2:6-11; John 3:13-17
My dear brothers and sisters, today, the Holy Mother Church celebrates the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This feast recalls three key historical events:
1. The finding of the True Cross of Jesus by St. Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, in 326 AD.
2. Following the rediscovery, Constantine ordered pagan shrines to be removed and built Churches on the site of the Holy Sepulchre and Mount Calvary, dedicated on September 13 and 14, 335. From then, this feast began to be celebrated in Jerusalem.
3. In the 7th century, the Persians captured the Cross of Christ during their invasion of Jerusalem. Later, Emperor Heraclius II defeated them, and the Cross was returned in triumph to Jerusalem. To commemorate this, the feast became a universal celebration.
But what do we truly celebrate today?
We celebrate the power of God to transform shame, pain, and sorrow into victory and glory. The cross, once a symbol of curse and humiliation, became through Christ the instrument of salvation (cf. Galatians 3:13). What was meant to destroy became the sign of hope and eternal life.
Lesson 1: Trust God with your crosses
This feast reminds us that God can turn our own crosses, our disappointments, heartbreaks, betrayals, failures, into blessings. If we trust Him, our tears will one day turn into songs of joy.
Lesson 2: Carry your cross with Christ
Just as Christ carried His Cross to glory, so too each of us has crosses to bear: family struggles, health challenges, betrayals, injustice, crises in vocation, financial hardship, or even persecution for our faith. These crosses are real, but they are not meaningless. Instead of dragging them with bitterness or blaming God, we are called to fix our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) and ask Him for strength. With patience, faith, and trust, our crosses take on eternal value and can even bring us peace and joy in the midst of suffering.
Lesson 3: Do not mock others’ crosses
Some people’s crosses are visible- disabilities, illnesses, poverty, learning difficulties, or broken families. The Christian response is never mockery but compassion. To mock someone’s cross is to mock God Himself, who permits trials for reasons we cannot fully understand.
Lesson 4: Pray for those who are crosses to us
Sometimes the crosses we carry are people close to us – spouses, children, siblings, or parents, whose choices bring us pain and sorrow. In such cases, we are called not to give up but to continue bringing them before the Lord in prayer. Our prayers are never in vain.
Finally, dear friends, remember: God has not created anyone to be a cross but a crown, not to be a burden but a blessing. If by our actions, we have become a source of sorrow for others, let us ask the Lord to forgive and transform us, just as He transformed Onesimus, Mary Magdalene, Matthew, Paul, Augustine, and so many others.
Let us pray
Lord Jesus Christ, we thank You for the gift of the Holy Cross, the sign of our salvation and the source of our hope. Grant us the grace to carry our daily crosses with faith and love, to comfort others in their struggles, and to remain steadfast in trials. Transform our tears into joy, our weakness into strength, and our burdens into blessings. May we one day exchange our crosses for the crown of eternal life,
Amen.
Sermon preached by Fr Emmanuel Baraka-Gukena Okami on September 14, 2024.