From shame to fame.

Fr. Kolbe Missionaries of the Immaculata

Blessed Feast of the Exultation of the Cross! Just two pieces of wood set perpendicular to each other, a little off centered, and presto all sorts of emotions begin to surface. In the New Testament Saint Paul says that it is foolishness to Gentiles and a stumbling block to Jews.  In our own day tempers flare and hearts inflame at the sight, depending on your upbringing, your formation, your passion.  In the Holy Land, the Christian quarters have it attached to every single entryway.... the CROSS OF CHRIST.

At the time of Christ it was not only a sign, it was an instrument of capital punishment. It would be akin, say, to the electric chair or the earlier and gruesome guillotine. And, yet, only a couple hundred years after the death of Christ, Christians danced and sung, worshiped and celebrated the finding of the True Cross. At this point they had endured two centuries of undulating persecutions. Now, Constantine was on the throne, and Christianity was embraced throughout the empire. FINALLY, the Cross was tangibly triumphant.

For the first time in known history the CROSS was lifted up and exulted by thousands, and perhaps hundreds of thousands. On the shoulders of those who had lived the faith in times at best turbulent and often terrifying, the CROSS OF CHRIST was venerated for what it truly was --- an instrument of our salvation and a constant reminder that wherever Christ is present, whatever Christ has touched, whenever Christ is welcomed, there is cause for rejoicing!