This was also called as the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross referring to that historical account of the bringing back of the pieces of the original cross where our Lord Jesus was crucified. King Heraclius recovered the parts of the cross from the Persians who stole them earlier. When brought back to its original place and was displayed for worship, many were cured of their sickness. Now called as the Triumph of the Cross brought its meaning not only to the recovery of the parts of the Cross but to its real essence of being the main symbol used by God in order to save us. The Cross, representing the most scandalous, absurd, painful, and difficult way to die, had become a symbol of love, life, and salvation! That which was considered a message of death and defeat was transformed into victory and life in Jesus! The Christians adopted it as their dominating symbol.
However, at present, it seems that the cross had been misused, abused, and over used. Worse, Christians themselves are guilty. The cross has been used more of a decoration rather than a symbol of love and triumph over suffering and death. The cross, because of its powerful message and its place in the Christian, faith had been used to attract people's attention to use them for their own purpose. The cross is being threatened again by being devoid of meaning or at least given a different and adversary one. This feast reminds us to rally the cross back to its significance in the Christian faith.
A miracle (at least for the faithful of St. Alphonsus in Magallanes Village, Makati City) happened when our parish church got burned. Almost everything, from the pews, ceilings, glass doors and windows, and the statues were gutted down by the fire. Except for one, The wooden cross located at the church entrance. The late Msgr. Nico told me that the place of that cross had always been an issue among priests and parishioners. In any case, it found its place at that door entrance. After the fire, that cross stood alone, not unharmed by the fire, but the main features were still visible. Many saw it as a miracle. It was another triumph of the cross against the fire. It was the triumph of the cross against destruction. It was the triumph of the cross for the faith!
While the new church is being constructed, it was placed in the bahay-kubo, our make shift church. It served as our cross for all the masses held there. Everyone going to mass, recognizing what it had gone through, would pass by it, utter some prayers, kiss it, or hold it. It became a source of strength for everyone. It became an inspiration for all the challenges and sufferings we encounter in life. The cross was a living testimony to the power of God!
When the new church was finished, it was placed there on a side where people can have access to it. It was a hard decision to determine its location. But where it is now, seems to be the perfect place. People continue to visit it and others, in fact, had developed a devotion to it!
Today, whenever I look at that cross, I remember the difficulties we had in the reconstruction of our church. The work of reconstruction was a big task to fulfill. Going back to those meetings and supervision of the construction made me ask myself how I was able to go through them. The cross gave me the answer. Sufferings, challenges, and even death are not the ultimate destiny of life. We will all go through all of them and more. In the same way that the Lord Jesus defeated death on the cross, we too, in faith and with the Lord, will also be victorious over all. The cross does not anymore represent defeat but triumph, not death, but life, not hate, but love, and not damnation but salvation!
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