“the world might be saved through him”
Where is the Cross seen in the Old Testament? The Cross arises throughout time to conquer sin. It appeared in shadows in the Old Testament as a type. For example Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert. In the New Testament it is show in exaltation. “The cross indeed is the standard of God’s armies, whereof Mary is the Queen; it is by the cross that she crushes the serpent’s head, and wins so many victories over error, and over the enemies of the Christian name.”[i] The Cross is the dagger which plunged into the skull of Satan at Golgotha (called place of the skull) gains victory over sin and death. The Cross buried in the shadows for so long arises giving victory to mankind. That which was the instrument of torture becomes the instrument of victory.
After the death of Christ is 33AD, the Cross again was buried and both Jew and Gentile alike began an intense persecution against those who bore the name of Christ. This attacked launched by the Roman Empire and its emperors would soon come to an end. Rome attempted to push down, to bury the Cross but it would arise. Just as a balloon will not be pushed under water, the Cross will not be buried. It will arise and destroy, sin and death, not just in one age, but in every age. In the 4th century this dramatically came true in one of the most amazing and influential events in the history of the world.
How did the Cross bring about victory over pagan Rome? “Above the legions, in a cloudless sky, the cross, proscribed for three long centuries, suddenly shone forth; all eyes behold it, making the western sun, as it were, its footstool, and surrounded with these words in characters of fire: In Hoc Vince: by this be thou conqueror!”[ii] The Emperor Constantine witnessed this miracle and a few months later, October 27, 312 AD, he would march back into Rome with His army, but this time there would be a new insignia, one that would bring about the collapse of false idols and religion and usher in worship of the true God and Church of Christ. For 279 years the Cross, which had been and still was buried in Jerusalem, now arose to show its power over sin. Within three decades of the vision of Constantine, Saint Helen, the mother of Constantine would travel to Calvary to discover and unearth the true Cross and Constantine would dedicate basilicas over the Holy Sepulcher.
With this victory the Church exclaims, “Hail, O cross, formidable to all enemies, bulwark of the Church, strength of princes; hail in thy triumph! The sacred Wood still lay hidden in the earth, yet it appeared in the heavens announcing victory; and an emperor, become Christian, raised it up from the bowels of the earth.”[iii]
How did the Cross bring about victory over pagan Persia? In the 7th Century, Chosroes, King of the Persians invaded Egypt, Africa. “He then took possession of Jerusalem, he carried away into Persia the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, which Helena had placed upon Mount Calvary.”[iv] The cherished prize of Christianity was now again buried as it was stolen by the Persians. When it seemed that Chosroes and the Persians were invincible, Heraclius, the Byzantine emperor employed the help of God and was able to not only invade and conquer the Persians, but also reclaim the Holy Cross, fourteen years after it had been stolen. A remarkable event of humility followed.
“On his return to Jerusalem, Heraclius, with great pomp, bore it [the Cross] on his own shoulders to the mountain whither our Saviour had carried it. This event was signalized by a remarkable miracle. Heraclius, attired as he was in robes adorned with gold and precious stones was forced to stand still at the gate which led to Mount Calvary. The more he endeavored to advance, the more he seemed fixed to the spot. Heraclius himself and all the people were astounded; but Zacharias, the bishop of Jerusalem, said: Consider, O emperor, how little thou imitates the poverty and humiliation of Jesus Christ, by carrying the cross clad in triumphal robes. Heraclius thereupon laid aside his magnificent apparel, and barefoot, clothed in mean attire, he easily completed the rest of the way, and replaced the cross in the same place on Mount Calvary, whence it had been carried off by the Persians. From this event, the feast of the Exaltation of the holy cross, which was celebrated yearly on this day [September 14], gained fresh lustre, in memory of the cross being replaced by Heraclius on the spot where it had first been set up for our Saviour.”[v]
How did the Cross bring about victory over Islam? After the Persians fell to the Cross another enemy of the Cross, Islam, would arise and fall as well. It is no mistake that the sword of the Crusaders when turned upside down is in the form of a Cross. It was the Holy Cross which the Crusaders carried both in their hands and in their hearts that protected Europe against the threats and evil of Islam.
How does the Cross bring about victory over Atheism, Relativism, and Secularism? Over the last two centuries the Cross has again been attacked and purposely removed from society. There is again an attempt to buried, what will never be buried.
In 2012, two Christian women brought a case to the European Court of Human Rights. Nadia Eweida and Shirley Chaplin, claimed that they were discriminated against when their employers barred them from wearing the symbols [The Crucifix and Cross]. The European Court states “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief, in worship, teaching, practice and observance.”[vi] The Government’s official response stated that wearing the cross is not a “requirement of the faith” and therefore does not fall under the remit of Article 9. In short, secular governments which have fallen to relativism and atheism will not exalt the Cross but rather strive to bury it.
During the communist occupation of Albania in the early to mid-1900’s, the communist government forbid people to wear or have crucifixes. There was an older woman, whose house was searched by the communist guards. The guards knew the woman was Catholic and searched her house without giving the woman notice. The guards found no Crucifixes in the house. The woman taunted the guards by saying that she did have a Crucifix in the house, but that no matter how long the searched, they would never find it. The guards searched more, tearing the woman’s home apart in search of the forbidden Crucifix. Finally, the guards, not finding the Crucifix verbally and physically abused the woman trying to pressure her into telling them where the Crucifix was. She remained silent, stared at the guards and said, “Do you want to know where my Crucifix is?” Then she simply made the Sign of the Cross. This woman carried the Crucifix with her daily by living the faith and if necessary, being willing to die for the faith.
The true power of the Cross comes in our battle not only against Satan (destroyed at Calvary) or against the world (for power after power has fallen to the Cross). The true power of the Cross comes in our battle against the flesh, our own inclination to sin and rebel against God and His holy will. “The cross is brought before our minds; who will not crucify himself? The true worshipper of the sacred Wood is he who carries out his worship in deeds.”[vii]
Activity – How many Crucifixes do you have in your house?
The Cross is our Trophy of victory over sin. It is this reason that we proudly wear and display our trophy in public as well as in our homes. There are two options for this game. If you have a Facebook page for your group, a flockNote list or some other type of social network that allows a poll to be created, you can create a poll with the question, “How many crucifixes are in your home?” You might want to specify, “hanging on your walls or not counting necklaces.” You can create the poll prior to this lesson and then give the results during the lesson or let everyone know that the poll has been created and that everyone should participate that week and the results will be given at the next lesson. It is also good to specify whether you are going to allow just crucifixes or both crucifixes and crosses are allowed. Many people have cross walls in their homes, so it might be best to just count crucifixes, since they are sacramentals. An alternative option to the activity is to create a video, similar to a reality show, in which you can go to three or four parishioners homes and ask to count their crucifixes, you could do this with permission or on the spot. It would be important to ask them questions like, “What is your favorite one?”, “What is the oldest one?” etc. It would be good to tape this prior to the lesson and play it at the lesson.
[i] Abbot Gueranger, O.S.B. The Liturgical Year, Vol. 14, The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
[ii] Abbot Gueranger, O.S.B. The Liturgical Year, Vol. 14, The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
[iii] Hymn Sung by the Greek Church; Abbot Gueranger, O.S.B. The Liturgical Year, Vol. 14, The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
[iv] Abbot Gueranger, O.S.B. The Liturgical Year, Vol. 14, The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
[v] Abbot Gueranger, O.S.B. The Liturgical Year, Vol. 14, The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
[vi] Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights
[vii] Saint Sophronius