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121.3
First Point
Saint
Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, had such a great zeal for religion
and profound respect for the cross on which Jesus Christ was nailed that
she traveled to Jerusalem to try to recover this sacred wood. The great
faith of this saint did not allow her to grow discouraged in the face of
the many difficulties she encountered in the execution of her project. She
took so much trouble that at last she found the true cross and arranged to
have it displayed for the veneration of the faithful.
It is not enough to adore the cross, says one Father of the Church,
but we must carry it. Nor do we need to go very far looking for it. The
cross, says the author of the Imitation, is always ready wherever we are
and wherever we may look: above, below, outside, and within. On all sides,
the same author says, you will find the cross. Prepare yourself today,
then, to love the cross, since you will always have it.
121.2
Second Point
The
crosses of the two thieves were also discovered with that of Jesus Christ,
but the cross of Jesus was recognized by several miracles which took place
when it was touched, and especially by the resurrection of a deceased
person. According to Saint Paulinus' account, this corpse had shown no
sign of life when touched by the other two crosses.
In this world there are crosses of thieves and those of Jesus
Christ. Those of the thieves have no grace attached to them and impart no
movement of life in those who endure them, because these persons carry
them with the wrong dispositions; those of Jesus Christ are those that
often work miracles, procure a good spirit of self-denial, the practice of
other virtues, and sometimes even revive the dead by giving an aversion
and horror for sin.
Is the cross you carry the cross of Jesus Christ? How do you
recognize this? Do the difficulties you suffer lead you to practice many
virtues? Pay attention to this: if these crosses turn you away and make
you complain, they are the crosses of thieves.
121.3 Third Point
Having
discovered and verified the true cross of Jesus, Saint Helena distributed
parts of it to many churches so that throughout the world the cross might
be acknowledged and honored by all the faithful. In consequence, Emperor
Constantine by an edict forbade the use of crucifixion ever after as a
means of executing any criminal, and this has always been observed in
Christian lands.
It was because the true cross was discovered and honored in the
Church that the feast we are celebrating today was instituted. Do you
honor the cross when you have the advantage of carrying one? Do you thank
God for the honor he does you? On such occasions do you show that you glory
only in the cross of Jesus Christ?[i]
Does the cross become a punishment for you rather than a sign of honor,
because you look upon it only as something which makes you suffer and
which crucifies you, instead of welcoming it with affection and respect as
a gift from God and an honor he does you? This is how you should embrace
the cross if you wish to suffer as a Christian.
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