Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Today is the Exaltation of the Cross. We're far from Good Friday and there are historical reasons for that, but it is also just good to be reminded of what Jesus accomplished on the wood of the Cross and that message permeates every part of today's liturgy.
The explicit nature of it made writing a reflection seem almost redundant. The first reading and the gospel passage practically interpret each other. The serpents in the desert were poisoning the people just as the poison of the first serpent took us from the garden. Just as the poisonous snakes are overcome by the sign of the bronze serpent on the pole, so to the poison of death is overcome by death.
Hear these words from the preface for communion, "...so that where death arose, life might again spring forth and the evil one, who conquered on a tree, might likewise on a tree be conquered..." This tree is called "the altar of the Cross" in the Prayer over the Offerings. It is this tree that Jesus approached willingly and freely as Phillipians expresses so beautiful. It is from this altar of the Cross that Jesus pours out his very heart. He nourishes us by his heavenly banquet and through it, "the whole world has received a heart to confess the infinite power of [God's] majesty, since by the wondrous power of the cross [God's] judgement on the world is now revealed and the authority of Christ crucified" as the alternate Preface says.
And what is this judgment on the world? It is that "but he, being merciful, forgave their sin and destroyed them not." It is the promise that we have been shown the immense love that the Lord has for us by His willingness to become a slave for us, and we, in turn, are given the tremendous opportunity to bend our knee, confess his majesty and walk in the salvation poured out upon us.
These truths are hidden in every crucifix we see. At Immaculate, we have a particular stained glass window section that has the crucifixion set between the Baptism of Jesus and the Resurrection. I love the scene because the transepts of Jesus' cross extend into both scenes. The life promised through participating in Jesus death by our baptism is the life that awaited him on the other side of the exultation of the cross.
I also have the song Wood and Nails by the Porter's Gate Worship Project ringing in my ears. Here are some highlights from the lyrics of this song, "The work was done with nothing but / Wood and nails in Your scar-borne hands ... The kingdom's come and built upon / Wood and nails gripped with joyfulness / So send me out, within Your ways / Knowing that the task is finished / The dead will rise and give You praise / Wood and nails will not hold them down / These wooden tombs, we'll break them soon / And fashion them into flower beds /The curse is done, the battle won / Swords bent down into plowshares / Your scar-borne hands, we'll join with them / Serving at the table You've prepared." Try to listen to it by whatever means is easiest for you (Spotify, Youtube, etc).
Finally, find a way to pray with this feast today. Seek out more music that speaks to your soul, images that communicate God's great love, or pray intentionally with the Church's beautifully written prayers for today. We have a God who has overcome by overturning all that we fear. We fear a lack of control, suffering, death, misrepresentation, humiliation, and the inability to rescue those we love from harm. We have a God who entered those fears and proclaimed to us that we are so loved that we will never walk those roads alone. The most exalted man in history hung naked from a tree, falsely accused of crimes that were expedient for others to pin on him, while his mother and Father looked on. One was unable to do anything and the other planned it from the beginning that it was precisely in this moment that victory was coming to pass.
"Angels praise your majesty, Dominions adore, and Powers tremble before you..." Take time today to praise, to adore, and, in your focus on the Cross of our Lord, force the powers in your life to tremble.
- Spencer Hargadon