In 324 AD, St. Helena, was sent by her son, Emperor Constantine, to go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem to find the place where Jesus died, the Holy Sepulcher, and the cross upon which he was crucified. Tradition has it that the three crosses were buried and hidden after Jesus and the two thieves were taken off their crosses. There are different stories about how she found the crosses, but it is believed she did find them in 326.

To find out which of the three crosses was the one Jesus was crucified upon, people in need of healing, including possibly, someone who had just died were brought to touch the three crosses. Only in touching one cross each time, were they healed, and so Helena believed that was the cross of Jesus. Helena had the cross brought back to her son.

The feast day that we celebrate today is the Exultation of the Holy Cross and it is in remembrance of when the Holy Cross was rescued from the Persians in the seventh century.

The cross and crucifixion was an instrument of state sanctioned terrorism to keep people in line. The Romans were ready, willing, and able to make an example of anyone who stood up against them. The brutal practice of crucifixion was one such practice to strike terror into the hearts of anyone else who might have the idea of opposing them.

And yet, we as Catholics, hang this instrument of torture with the dead body of Jesus in our churches, in our homes, and many around their necks. What was a sign of terror has become for us a sign of victory!

“Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness;and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8).

The crucifix is our sacramental sign of hope. Death, is one of the tools used by tyrants and dictators to keep people in line because they know instinctually we want to preserve our lives, and so fear death. Yet death does not have the final say. Jesus, who though quite capable of saving himself, chose not to. He willingly gave his life for all of us. What is even more amazing is he specifically gave his life for you and me. Jesus died personally for us, conquered death, rose again and ascended into heaven so that we might find fulfillment and joy in this life, not so that we could merely survive, but so we can thrive free of anxiety and fear in this life and continue into eternal life in the next.

As we grow in our faith and relationship with Jesus, we come face to face with our fears when we are ready and willing to do so, even death. For me, watching JoAnn’s death is the closest thing I have experienced to watching a crucifixion and greatest fear – losing someone I love. She lost so much weight and by her final weeks was so emaciated. Like Mary and John watching Jesus suffering and dying on the cross, there was nothing I could do to stop it.

Yet, there was a peace in knowing that this was not the end of JoAnn’s life. Jesus had the final say, not death. He led her home to the eternal embrace of our loving God and Father. This peace that surpassed all my understanding was a grace that God granted me so that I could be there for JoAnn as well as Jack and Christy, every step of the way. I could fall apart later and mourn, grieve, and heal over these past four years. The crucifix has been a help for me because it has been a reminder of how much Jesus offers us a love so amazing, so uniquely and personally that he would die for JoAnn, for me, and for you.

The crucifix is a reminder that we need not fear death nor anything else because Jesus has our back. Continue to trust in Jesus and know, no matter what arises going forward, and when times of doubt, anxiety, or fear attempts to creep in, you can look upon your crucifix, even hold it in your hand (you have one?) and know Jesus is with you, loves you so much he has given his life for you and that there is nothing, nothing, nothing you and he by your side cannot accomplish.

Photo: Crucifix in the main chapel at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach, FL.

Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, September 14, 2023