The Triumph of the Cross

Feast of the Triumph of the Cross
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I have a beautiful little book called The Thoughts of Saint Thérèse. She tells an anecdote about one of the novices in her carmel who had committed a small sin and then repented very bitterly of what she had done. Saint Thérèse told her, “Take your crucifix and kiss it.” The young sister kissed the feet. Saint Thérèse asked her, “Is that how a child embraces her father? Now put your arms around his neck immediately and kiss his face.” The novice obeyed. Thérèse wasn’t through yet. She said, “That’s not all. He must return your caresses.” And she had the sister hold the crucifix to each cheek. Then Thérèse said, “Good! Now all is forgiven!”

Don’t you love that story? It makes God so loving… so approachable… so human in his affection for us. I like to reread that story every once in a while to remind myself that there’s a genuine person on the cross—not just some distant and strange being we conveniently call “God.”

Today, the Church celebrates a special and beautiful feast day with a curious title: The Triumph of the Cross. Look at Jesus hanging dead and bleeding on the cross. He’s been humiliated, tortured, degraded, and executed in the most barbaric way known in his day. Yet here we are, 21 centuries later, still proclaiming this event as a triumph!

Of course, we know that the victory, or the triumph of the cross, is that Christ mysteriously took all the sins of the human race upon himself and offered himself as a priceless sacrifice to God the Father. As a result, Jesus Christ obtained forgiveness for all of us. He reopened the gateway to paradise. Sin and death have been overcome, and that certainly is a triumph to beat all triumphs!

But does that theological truth have real meaning for you? Do you really experience and live the triumph of the cross?

That’s why I love how St. Thérèse made it so personal for her religious sister.

I read another story the other day that I think also beautifully illustrates the magnificence of the cross and adds to its personal meaning. This woman was in a store shopping for a sweater. She was very low on funds, so she headed for the clearance rack. As she flipped through the sweaters, one caught her eye. It was the right color and the right size, and best of all, the price tag was marked $8.00. Without much more thought, she bought it. When she got home, the woman slipped on the sweater. Its texture was like silk. She had made her purchase so quickly that she hadn’t really noticed how smooth and elegant the sweater was. Then she saw the original price tag: $254.00! The woman gasped. She had never owned any clothing of that value. She came home with what she thought was a “cheap buy”—but the original price was very high. She had been totally oblivious to its value.

Now look over at the cross again. Just like that lady with her sweater, how often do we treat the power of Jesus’ blood like a “cheap purchase”? Christ’s grace, even though it is free for you and me, carried an enormous price tag—his very life!

I ask you to think for a moment about the day that Our Lord paid that ultimate price. He began that day by doing precisely what we are doing right now—celebrating the mass. It’s good to remember that the mass makes present Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. That’s why Christ’s cross and the holy Eucharist are inseparable.

Today, as we celebrate the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross, it is wonderful that we can eat Jesus’ flesh and drink his blood in holy communion and proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes in glory! If we take up the crosses of gospel poverty, fasting, making sacrifices, washing others’ feet, taking the lowest place, and forgiving our enemies, we will find that we love the holy Eucharist more than ever—and draw new strength and grace from the cross. If we center our lives on Sunday mass, prepare for mass, try to go to daily mass whenever possible, and make visits to the Blessed Sacrament, we won’t run away from the cross. Instead, we will wonderfully and joyfully embrace it.

Yes, the cross of Jesus Christ is indeed a triumph—for the human race… but especially for you and me personally. Come to the cross and experience God’s amazing love. Amen.