- The feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross-
The feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross celebrates two historical events: the discovery of the True Cross by Saint Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine, in 320 under the temple of Venus in Jerusalem, and the dedication in 335 of the basilica and shrine built on Calvary by Constantine, which mark the site of the Crucifixion.
Book of Numbers (21: 4-9) records the experiences of the Israelites in the wilderness. Murmuring God punished the people by bringing a cobra bite is quite deadly. Through Moses, God save them from death, if they looked at the bronze snake on a pole placed. The event was conceived as a symbol of the start of the cross of Christ to save the world. To the Philippians (2: 6-11), Paul showed great mystery of the cross of Christ. The cross of Christ is the absolute proof of compliance. Christian obedience is the self-emptying. Without emptying of self, one is never exalted by God. He will never be able to carry the cross of life. In conversation with Nicodemus (John 3:13-17), Jesus showed greatness meaning of the cross. The cross is at elevation. With cross-damaged human nature of sin is rebuilt. The cross is the successive purification, road safety, road to eternal life. Only those who are called to be disciple of Christ crucified, can understand this great secret! These three readings say one same meaning about cross as the symbol of conversion.
Related to the cross, I am reminded of experiences of dialogue before the cross in the first week of Spiritual Exercises (SipEx. 53). We speak with Him of how, being the Creator He then become man, and how, possessing eternal life, He submitted to temporal death to die for our sins. In this meditation, I can feel shame and confusion where I am not appropriate to face God. In this sense, I realize that holy cross is the symbol of conversion.
Repentance is not only experienced one or two times in life. Repentance is a lifelong process.Conversion experience is often times I have experienced in a completely simple and unexpected, like the one I experienced when meeting yesterday scriptures. I experienced conversion when I hear people sharing their struggles about their faith in daily life. Some share the difficulties in praying, difficulties in the household, to the experience of coexistence. All stories that struck me was the experience of faith in the simplicity of faith of the people, God is always present and active. Conversion begins with inner movement that I feel in my heart, where I feel God is calling me to always faithful to contemplation in action in everyday life.
Real conversion is that brings people to transformation of attitudes. Conversion can only come to the change or transformation if people have profound forgiveness. I believe that each of us has a profound experience of forgiveness. I myself experienced forgiveness at the end of the first week of profound Spiritual Exercises.Before I go to confession, I dialogue in the presence of the cross of Jesus. At that moment I felt so ashamed, disgusted, and confused with all my sins and at the same time I cried amazement that God still forgive me and let me alive. That experience changed the way I view the world and the way I behave in life.
The cross is a symbol of conversion. Every time we look at the cross are always invited to repentance, not through big things but through the simple things are always reflected in everyday life.
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