Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

A young man, who, like many, felt the weight of life’s challenges. He saw the cross as a symbol of suffering, a burden he didn’t want to carry. He avoided anything that resembled sacrifice or hardship, preferring comfort and ease. He saw the cross on others, in their struggles and sacrifices, and felt a sense of resentment towards it, for he believed that this suffering was something imposed upon them not something they would choose. One day, during the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, he found himself reflecting on the readings about Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross. He realized that the cross wasn’t just a symbol of pain, but also a symbol of God’s immense love for humanity, demonstrated by Jesus’s willingness to die for our sins. He thought about how Jesus, despite the suffering, embraced the cross as an instrument of salvation. This realization sparked a change in David. He began to see the cross not as a burden to be avoided, but as a symbol of love and sacrifice that he could embrace. He started to see others’ struggles, and his own as well, not as things to resent, but as opportunities to grow closer to God. He realized that the cross, in its various forms, was a reminder of God’s unwavering presence in his life, even during difficult times. David’s journey wasn’t easy, but with each step, he found strength and peace in embracing the cross. He learned that true joy and fulfillment come not from avoiding suffering, but from uniting with Christ in his suffering and finding strength in his sacrifice. He understood that the exaltation of the Holy Cross is not just a celebration of a historical event, but a call to embrace the cross in our own lives, finding strength, hope, and salvation in its symbolism.