By Madeline Larson

“For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” ~ John 3:17

Would you do something bold if the Lord asked?

On this feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, I am so thankful for the work of Saint Helena. The cross of Christ was missing from history for a few centuries, until Saint Helena felt called from Rome to go to the Holy Land in search of this most sacred relic. Helena was the mother of Constantine the Great, the great emperor of Rome in the 300s, who legalized Christianity in the empire, allowing it to flourish across Europe. Helena listened to the Lord in all that she did, including the bold decision to go to the Holy Land in search of the true cross. There was no promise that she would succeed, but she went anyway. She trusted that if the Lord asked her to do something, He would provide.

Jesus Christ did the same thing when God the Father asked Him to die for us on the cross. It was not an easy task or one without pain and burden. The sacrificial mission on the cross was the most life-giving, love-filled action that Jesus could partake in. All the miracles and signs that He performed in His public ministry were minor and small compared to the action of His on the cross.

“For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” – John 3:17

The saving action of Jesus on the cross is why, as Christians, we are called to cling to the cross. We cling to the cross of Christ for hope of our salvation and for love of His action. We pick up our own crosses and follow in the way of the Lord so that His saving work might be relived and renewed in our work. Saint Helena was inspired by this work of Our Lord that she went in bold pursuit of the cross upon which He died. We know that relics of saints hold power, and how much more power is in that wood that supported Our Lord in His final moments? It is a blessing that Saint Helena found the true cross and nails of Jesus’ crucifixion and brought them back to Rome for us to revere and draw strength from.

How much more do we exalt the cross of Jesus Christ when we ourselves know the purifying power of our own crosses? We can and must recognize the impact of our acceptance towards our own crosses when we are able. Our faith asks us to be bold in following Christ, and this includes in the pain and suffering that this life brings. While this is a hard path to follow, it is the one that is going to bring us to holiness and to the heart of Christ. The Holy Cross of Jesus Christ will be exalted in our hearts the closer we bring ourselves to it in thought, action, and word.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for the life-giving gift of the Holy Cross that you died upon. Help me to see my own crosses as paths towards your own heart and holiness of life.

Call to Action

When is the last time that you did something bold for the Lord, no matter how unsure you were or potentially painful it could be? Talk with the Lord to grant you the holy boldness that He desires as well as the gift of wisdom to where He is calling you deeper into His Holy Cross.

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