Homily on the Eve of the Exaltation of the Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord
By St. Innocent of Kherson
By St. Innocent of Kherson
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!
The present evening service differs from all others in that during it the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord is performed, in memory of that glorious exaltation which once took place in Jerusalem, following the finding of this Cross by the Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Helen. The large number of people gathered here shows that the sight of the Cross being raised is precious to Christians. But, brothers and sisters, our Savior and Lord did not come down from heaven for the sake of a spectacle; He did not ascend the Cross for the sake of a spectacle; nor is the Cross of Christ raised today for the sake of a spectacle. Wherever the Cross is, there must be not only the eyes of the Christian, but also his heart. The raising of the Cross of the Lord represents everything “that was and is in the life of our Lord, and everything that ought to be, and perhaps is not, in our own life.” Let us consider this more closely.
By the raising of the Cross is represented, first of all, the whole life of our Lord. For what does this life consist? It consists of an incomprehensible humiliation and an equally incomprehensible glory which, despite their opposition to one another, are joined together and intersect one another, and by this very fact form a cross. “Who, being in the form of God,” thus does the Apostle describe the life of our Lord, “did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; and being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross” (Phil. 2:6–8). Here is the ladder of the Son of God’s descent! Who can count all its steps? “Therefore,” the Apostle continues, “God also highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9–11). Here is the ladder of the ascent of the Son of Man! Who can point out its final limit?
Therefore, Christian, when you see the Cross being lowered toward the earth, imagine, as much as you are able, the various forms and degrees of the humiliation of your Lord: how He leaves the throne of glory, descends to earth, and dwells in the womb of the Virgin; how, after His birth, He is laid in a manger, submits to circumcision, and flees from Herod to Egypt; how He spends thirty years in the obscurity of Nazareth, in obedience to mortal parents, laboring as a carpenter; how He then receives baptism from a servant, is tempted by Satan, and preaches the Kingdom of God amid every kind of deprivation, slander, and danger; how He is betrayed by a disciple, condemned as a rebel, and raised upon the Cross; how even in the tomb He is guarded as a “deceiver,” while at the same time He descends into Hades to preach to the world of spirits; how, finally, even amid His very glory, after His ascension into heaven, He continues to be, especially in the persons of His true followers and members, an object of controversy, hostility, and persecution.
Imagine, I say, all this, Christian, as you behold the Cross of the Lord being lowered toward the earth, and consider: why did your Lord endure, and continue to endure, so many humiliations? He could have enjoyed the glory which He had with the Father “before the world existed” (Jn. 17:5), and have left you to your miseries; but He did not. Rather, He was pleased to leave His glory and endure every kind of humiliation, in order to cover your shame, restore to you the glory you had lost, cleanse your sins with His blood, and make you once again an heir of heaven.
Be grateful, then, for the incomparable condescension of the Lord. Learn to value the cruciform greatness of your Lord; learn to make use of it for your own benefit by imitating Him. Begin to bear that portion of the Cross which falls to your lot, for the cleansing of your flesh and spirit from defilement. The Cross is lowered to the earth for this very reason: so that you, lying upon the earth in sins, may take hold of it by faith and rise with it to the heights. Do not let this precious opportunity pass you by!
When the Cross is raised upward, something else should be imagined: the gradual glorification of the Son of Man, which began even amid profound humiliation. Imagine how the Archangel announces His conception and the angels sing at the birth of the Eternal Child (Lk. 2:13–14); how the twelve-year-old Child astonishes the wisdom of all the scribes in Jerusalem (Lk. 2:47); how a voice from heaven calls Him the beloved Son at the Jordan (Mt. 3:17) and on Tabor (Mt. 17:5); how the blind receive sight at His word, the deaf hear, unclean spirits flee, and the dead rise; how children sing “Hosanna”; how on Golgotha itself the sun is darkened and the earth is shaken; how multitudes of the righteous enter Paradise behind the Conqueror of Hades and death; how He rises from the tomb, is proclaimed by angels to the Apostles, and through them to the whole world; how He is given “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Mt. 28:18); how He ascends from the Mount of Olives into heaven and “sits at the right hand of God” the Father (Mk. 16:19), beginning to govern the whole world for the good of His Church; how He conquers, one after another, all His enemies, until “the last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:26).
All this, and things like it, should be contemplated when we see the Cross being raised, for the Son of Man ascended to such a height of glory by no other means than the Cross.
But for whom is this glory? For you, Christian, and for your salvation. The Son of God already possesses an abyss of glory, but you are without glory, and He desires to honor and glorify you through Himself. Therefore, the kingdom which He acquired has all been bequeathed to you (Lk. 22:29). Do not be indifferent to the glory of your Savior, acquired for you. Remember the height to which you are called. Do not grieve excessively amid earthly humiliation, and do not gaze longingly upon the heights of this world. Heaven awaits you; a throne of glory has been prepared for you; you will be above all things. Only do not degrade or lose, through your sins, the new heavenly dignity that has been bequeathed to you.
Thus, the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord brings to our remembrance, brothers and sisters, the whole life of our Lord. But since a Christian ought to have “the same mind which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5), and since Christ, having suffered for us, “left us an example, that we should follow His steps” (1 Pet. 2:21), along with this raising of the Cross there is also represented, as we have said, what ought to be—and perhaps is not—in our own life.
Thus, brothers and sisters, a glory similar to that into which our Lord and Savior ascended lies before us as well; but before us lies also the very same path to this glory by which He passed: the path of the Cross and self-denial, the path of humility and endurance unto death. There is no other path to heaven, nor can there be.
Therefore, when you see the Cross bending down to the earth, ask yourself, Christian, whether you are capable of bowing down in this way, in humility and patience, for the glory of God and the good of your neighbor. Are you ready to part with worldly honor so as not to lose the glory of God? Do you renounce the pride of this life? Do you feel that you are dust and ashes, a sinner unworthy of mercy? Do you recognize the necessity of putting your self-love to death, and do you actually put it to death, even to some degree? Have you endured even one insult? Have you forgiven at least one enemy from your heart? Have you ever wept over your sins? Do you know, even from a little experience, what the Cross is and what Christian humility is?
Whoever, in doing this, finds within himself and in his life the priceless traces of the humiliation and humility of his Lord, let him fall down at the foot of the Cross and give thanks to the Lord for the great gift of His grace. For true self-denial comes from above. Our nature knows only how to boast and exalt itself, but when it comes from above, sooner or later it raises a person to the place from which it came: to heaven, into the dwelling places of the Heavenly Father.
Likewise, when the Cross is raised, we should contemplate the necessity of ascending from virtue to virtue, from faith to faith, from love to love. High is the ladder of Christian perfection! Endless are the steps of spiritual struggle! No matter how high you may stand, Christian, you are still not yet where you ought to be. There is one sure rule: “forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead” (Phil. 3:13). Whoever thinks that he has already reached the very top thereby shows that he is still standing below. The greatest ascetics always considered themselves not to have attained their goal. Therefore, when you see the Cross being raised upward, examine yourself, Christian, in the conscience of your heart: what can still be done for the purification and elevation of your virtues, if you possess them?
Above all, however, we ask you, brothers and sisters, let this sacred rite not become merely a spectacle! Let the sign of the Cross of Christ be reflected not only upon the surface of your body, but also in the depths of your hearts! The Cross saves, but not merely when it is venerated; it saves when it is also carried—not merely upon the physical neck, but upon the neck of the soul. Worship it not only in the church, where it is so beautifully adorned, but wherever you encounter it: whether in an offense from your neighbor, in the loss of possessions, in illness, or in some other sorrow. Bow down before it and kiss it in these circumstances as well. By this, and only by this, will you prove that you are not venerating gold and silver in the form of a cross, but the true Cross of the Lord, which on Golgotha was covered not with precious stones, but with blood and tears. Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
