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THE PARADOX OF THE CROSS
Hays Daily News, KS
Sept 12 2014
9/12/2014
Coca-Cola, Nike and Apple have famous logos. But none of them is
known as universally as the cross. The cross instantly is recognized
the world over as the symbol of Christianity, as well as its central
message.
This Sunday, many Christians will celebrate a special feast to honor
the cross. Good Friday is dedicated to the crucifixion of Christ, but
Sept. 14 celebrates the cross itself as the instrument of salvation.
Some protestants observe this Sunday as Holy Cross Day, others as the
Feast of the Glorious Cross. The Roman Catholic liturgy celebrates the
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, and the Greek Orthodox refer
to this feast as the Raising aloft of the Precious and Life-Giving
Cross.
This ancient feast has its roots in the reported discovery of the
True Cross in Jerusalem by St. Helena, mother of Constantine. It also
is related to the dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher,
which was built on the site of her discovery. Her discovery and that
church have braided histories with rich traditions and more than a
little controversy.
On a pilgrimage to the Holy Land (c. 325), the empress St. Helena
claimed she had found the True Cross near Mount Calvary. Constantine
then built a church, the Calvarium, on that site. Next to it, he
built another church, the Anastasis (the Resurrection), over the
place of the empty grave of Jesus. Both churches were dedicated
Sept. 14, 335 A.D. These churches were destroyed by the Persians in
614, rebuilt in 626 and again destroyed by the Muslims in 1009. The
present double-domed church includes both the site of Calvary and
the tomb of Christ. It was built by the Crusaders in 1149 and named
the church of the Holy Sepulcher, although the Greek Orthodox still
refer to it as the church of the Resurrection.
Many consider this the primary church of Christianity since it is
built over the most sacred spot on earth for Christians, the place
of the death and resurrection of Christ. The ownership and care of
the church is designated by a complex and often contested agreement
between the Eastern Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic and Roman Catholic
churches, as well as the Coptic, Ethiopian and Syriac Orthodox. Such
a diverse group of Christians is a challenge for ecumenism.
Pilgrims to the Holy Land often are dismayed by the jurisdictional
disputes about sacred sites, especially within the church of the Holy
Sepulcher. Although the lack of harmony might be disedifying, these
historic tensions are evidence those sites truly are held sacred, if
by imperfect Christians. Yet there is a certain irony in the manifest
need for redemption on the site that is the source of redemption.
This Sunday's feast to honor the Cross of Christ celebrates the
paradox that an instrument of death has become a promise of life,
even life eternal. The history of the church built to honor the site
of the cross unwittingly reveals our need for the redemption promised
by that cross as we all struggle to find peace in our own lives.
Father Earl Meyer is a Capuchin Franciscan priest at the Capuchin
Center
for Spiritual Life at Victoria
http://hdnews.net/society/community/meyer091214
Hays Daily News, KS
Sept 12 2014
9/12/2014
Coca-Cola, Nike and Apple have famous logos. But none of them is
known as universally as the cross. The cross instantly is recognized
the world over as the symbol of Christianity, as well as its central
message.
This Sunday, many Christians will celebrate a special feast to honor
the cross. Good Friday is dedicated to the crucifixion of Christ, but
Sept. 14 celebrates the cross itself as the instrument of salvation.
Some protestants observe this Sunday as Holy Cross Day, others as the
Feast of the Glorious Cross. The Roman Catholic liturgy celebrates the
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, and the Greek Orthodox refer
to this feast as the Raising aloft of the Precious and Life-Giving
Cross.
This ancient feast has its roots in the reported discovery of the
True Cross in Jerusalem by St. Helena, mother of Constantine. It also
is related to the dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher,
which was built on the site of her discovery. Her discovery and that
church have braided histories with rich traditions and more than a
little controversy.
On a pilgrimage to the Holy Land (c. 325), the empress St. Helena
claimed she had found the True Cross near Mount Calvary. Constantine
then built a church, the Calvarium, on that site. Next to it, he
built another church, the Anastasis (the Resurrection), over the
place of the empty grave of Jesus. Both churches were dedicated
Sept. 14, 335 A.D. These churches were destroyed by the Persians in
614, rebuilt in 626 and again destroyed by the Muslims in 1009. The
present double-domed church includes both the site of Calvary and
the tomb of Christ. It was built by the Crusaders in 1149 and named
the church of the Holy Sepulcher, although the Greek Orthodox still
refer to it as the church of the Resurrection.
Many consider this the primary church of Christianity since it is
built over the most sacred spot on earth for Christians, the place
of the death and resurrection of Christ. The ownership and care of
the church is designated by a complex and often contested agreement
between the Eastern Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic and Roman Catholic
churches, as well as the Coptic, Ethiopian and Syriac Orthodox. Such
a diverse group of Christians is a challenge for ecumenism.
Pilgrims to the Holy Land often are dismayed by the jurisdictional
disputes about sacred sites, especially within the church of the Holy
Sepulcher. Although the lack of harmony might be disedifying, these
historic tensions are evidence those sites truly are held sacred, if
by imperfect Christians. Yet there is a certain irony in the manifest
need for redemption on the site that is the source of redemption.
This Sunday's feast to honor the Cross of Christ celebrates the
paradox that an instrument of death has become a promise of life,
even life eternal. The history of the church built to honor the site
of the cross unwittingly reveals our need for the redemption promised
by that cross as we all struggle to find peace in our own lives.
Father Earl Meyer is a Capuchin Franciscan priest at the Capuchin
Center
for Spiritual Life at Victoria
http://hdnews.net/society/community/meyer091214