The Exaltation Of The Holy Cross

Hail Holy Cross My Only Hope! Yes indeed, hope springs eternal in the human breast. We are a people of hope because of the cross. In Jesus’ time the cross was a symbol of degradation, derision, destitution, and damnation. However, with Jesus on it, the cross has become an emblem of transformation, admiration, privileged circumstances and forgiveness.

As religious, we are closely connected to the cross of Christ by the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and obedience. St. John Paul II teaches that the evangelical counsels are a gift of the Holy Trinity to consecrated persons to live the Gospel in a radical way. Jesus revealed the Trinitarian love in his sacred humanity, in his preaching, and in his death and resurrection. His own love He manifested by sacrificing his life to save us.

As consecrated persons, we live our single-hearted love for Christ by living lives of purity of heart, self-control and chastity foregoing the gifts of marriage and family thus avoiding complications that can arise from emotional attachments so as to be free to devote our energy, time and passion to serve others.

Poverty in consecrated persons bears witness to the poor Christ who had no place to lay his head. By professing this vow, we detach ourselves from positions of power and materialistic possessions to rediscover Christ, the only treasure worth living for. Hence, we focus on spiritual values of humility, compassion and generosity. Poverty encourages selflessness and discourages a desire for personal gain so as to reach out to the poor and the marginalised.

By the vow of obedience, we imitate Christ whose food was to do the Father’s will. Happiness comes when there is harmony of our wills with the will of God, for then we love what God loves and reject what God rejects. In his will is our peace.

Obedience provides a framework for living in community. It encourages harmony, collaboration and cooperation. The act of obedience is not blind compliance but a conscious choice to align one’s decisions and actions for the greater good of the community.

The vows appear challenging in a society that values personal satisfaction, material wealth and individual freedom. However, they are a means to cultivate a sense of gratitude, discipline and humility to live a life of service, compassion and devotion.

Living out our vows is putting ourselves on the cross. As Jesus poured out his life in loving surrender to the Father, so we too willingly lay our lives in self-surrender to the Lord, to reap the merits of the cross which is none other than reaping the saving grace of Christ to live eternally with him in the bosom of the Father.