Lift high the cross!

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Why on earth would we have a day to exalt a cross, an instrument of torture and death? Why would we hang this cross, with a body on it, around our neck?
 
This could seem very strange to people who are not Christians (followers of Christ.) And the thought of it would surely have seemed strange in the first century as well.
 
Today, as we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, we are not only reminded of how Jesus died, but that the resurrection that followed, which gave proof that death is not the final word, revealed the hope of eternal life to come, after our earthly death.
 
The suffering exhibited on the cross also reveals to us that our suffering can be redemptive (saving) as well. We are united to Christ on the cross in his, and our, suffering, and we are united to our brothers and sisters. As a display of love, Jesus showed us just how much he loves us, and how much we can--and should--love each other.
 
One has to wonder why we would treat each other as we do sometimes, when we have before us such a tremendous, sacrificial revelation of love.
 
Today would be a great day to take a crucifix (with the corpus of of Jesus on it) and just hold it in your hand, meditating on the depth of its meaning, and then, allow all that it means to influence how you treat others.
 
"Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore his sacred name."
 
Janet Cassidy

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