In contemporary times it is nothing to walk into a church and see a cross: sometimes Jesus is on it and sometimes it is empty. Modern Christians wear it around their neck, on their clothing, bumper stickers and water bottles. Many athletes follow this trend as well adorning it on sports gear and equipment. However, there was a time when the cross wasn’t as visible in Christianity: it is believed that it was seen as a torture device more than a symbol of devotion.
The History
According to the Biblical Archaeology Society, “Scholars believe that the first surviving public image of Jesus’s crucifixion was on the fifth-century wooden doors of the Basilica of Santa Sabina, which is located on the Aventine Hill in Rome.” It would take over 400 years for the cross to be seen as something more than a terrifying image that was imbued with shame.
Current Commemorations
The Catholic Church celebrates a feast known as The Exaltation of the Holy Cross every September which commemorates two great events in history. The first remembers that it was St. Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine, who found what was believed to be the “True Cross,” or the cross that Jesus was crucified on, under the Temple of Venus in Jerusalem in the 4th century. It also celebrates the dedication of the basilica and shrine that Constantine built on the supposed site of the crucifixion at Calvary. Although these beautiful buildings were destroyed in the 7th century, they were replaced with a site familiar to modernity: The Church of the Holy Sepulcher built by Crusaders around 1149 AD which still stands today.
The Western Church has been celebrating this day since the 7th century after the Emperor retrieved the cross back from the Persians who had sacked, and destroyed, the original basilica and shrine making off with the cross. This is one of the reasons that day has also been called The Triumph of the Cross. The liturgy is one of triumph: good conquers evil. The cross is meant to be seen as a symbol of the triumphant victory over sin and death through Jesus’s own death on the cross and his resurrection.
A great prayer to be said on that day comes from St. Frances of Assisi:
We adore you, Lord Jesus Christ, here and in all your churches throughout the whole world, and we bless you, for by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Reflection
While wearing the cross as daily attire isn’t a terrible idea, it should never be used merely as a fashion statement, rather it should remind us of exactly what it cost our beloved Lord to love us so much. It is by his death and resurrection that good will always conquer evil in the end. May we be worthy to wear it.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In