In the Christian mystery, the Cross is much more than an instrument of torture. It is the paradoxical throne of Christ, the place of his glorification, and the sign of the salvation offered to the world. The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14) calls us to contemplate not simply Christ’s suffering, but the victory of love over hatred, of life over death.
Saint Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, sums up the paradox of the Christian faith: “We preach Christ crucified, a scandal to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles”. (1 Corinthians 1:23) For the ancient world, the cross was a symbol of failure, humiliation and ignominious death. Yet it is through the cross that God reveals his wisdom. The wood of torment becomes the tree of new life. As St. Paul writes
For the Church Fathers, the cross is often compared to the tree of life in the Garden of Eden. What the forbidden tree had closed, the tree of the cross opens again. Saint Ambrose of Milan said: “The wood of the tree had closed paradise, the wood of the cross has opened it.”
And Saint Ephrem the Syrian writes: “Blessed be the wood on which life was hung!”
This theological language shows that the Cross is not a mere historical event, but a cosmic mystery, a total reversal of human history.
In the Gospel according to Saint John 12:32, the cross is already a glorious elevation: “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself. This elevation is not only that of suffering, but also that of the revelation of absolute love: “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”. (John 15:13). So, on the cross, Jesus does not undergo death, he offers it. He gives himself. He loves “to the uttermost (John 13:1).
On his way to martyrdom, Saint Ignatius of Antioch wrote: “Allow me to imitate the Passion of my God”. And St John Chrysostom added: “The cross is Christ’s trophy, the shining proof of his victory.”
In conclusion: to adore the Cross is not to cling to the wood, nor to glorify the pain, but to let ourselves be seized by the infinite love manifested there. The feast of the Glorious Cross invites us to proclaim, as the Church has done for centuries:
“We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, for by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.”
