Meditation

On September 14, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. A non-Christian might ask us: why "exalt" the cross? We can answer that we are not exalting just any cross, or all crosses: we are exalting the Cross of Jesus, because in it God's love for humanity was revealed in its highest form. This is what the Gospel of John reminds us of in today's liturgy: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son" (3:16). The Father "gave" his Son to save us, and this entailed the death of Jesus and his death on the cross. Why? Why was the Cross necessary? Because of the gravity of the evil that enslaved us. The Cross of Jesus expresses these two things: all the negative force of evil, and all the gentle omnipotence of God's mercy. The Cross seems to proclaim Jesus' failure, but in reality, it marks his victory. On Calvary, those who mocked him said, "If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross" (cf. Mt 27:40). But the opposite was true: it was precisely because he was the Son of God that Jesus was there, on the cross, faithful to the end to the Father's loving plan. And it is precisely for this reason that God "exalted" Jesus (Phil 2:9), conferring upon him a universal kingship.

And when we turn our gaze toward the cross where Jesus was nailed, we contemplate the sign of love, of God's infinite love for each of us, and the root of our salvation. From this Cross springs the mercy of the Father, embracing the whole world. Through the Cross of Christ, evil is defeated, death is vanquished, life is given to us, hope restored. This is important: through the Cross of Christ, hope is restored to us. The Cross of Jesus is our only true hope! This is why the Church exalts the Holy Cross, and this is why we Christians bless with the sign of the cross. That is to say, we do not exalt crosses in general, but the glorious Cross of Jesus, the sign of God's immense love, the sign of our salvation and our path to the Resurrection. This is our hope.

And when we contemplate and celebrate the Holy Cross, we think with emotion of our many brothers and sisters who are persecuted and killed because of their fidelity to Christ. This happens especially where religious freedom is not yet guaranteed or fully realized. But it also happens in countries and communities that, in principle, protect freedom and human rights, but where in practice believers, and especially Christians, face restrictions and discrimination. That is why today we remember them and pray for them in a special way.

On Calvary, at the foot of the cross, stood the Virgin Mary (cf. Jn 19:25-27). She is the Virgin of Sorrows, whom we will celebrate tomorrow in the liturgy. I entrust to her the present and the future of the Church, so that we may all always discover and welcome the message of love and salvation from the Cross of Jesus.

POPE FRANCIS

ANGELUS

Saint Peter's Square

Sunday, September 14, 2014

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