A sermon for The Invention of the Holy Cross, by Fr. Dan Suelzle.

The apostle Paul declares that he would boast in nothing except the cross of Jesus Christ. At first glance, perhaps this focus seems narrow. Why not boast in Christ’s mercy, His resurrection, or the sacraments? The reality is that these gifts are inseparable from the cross of Jesus. As we reflect on the feast of the “Invention”, or discovery, of the Holy Cross, we are reminded that our salvation is not a vague, ethereal concept, but a historical reality rooted in time and space. God enlisted the creature, wood, to be the means upon which his only-begotten Son is crucified for the sin of the world. Thus, the cross becomes the Tree which gives life, undoing the effects of the tree which brought death in the garden.

While historical accounts like St. Helena’s discovery of the True Cross ground our faith in history, they also serve as a cautionary tale. Just as the Israelites eventually turned the bronze serpent into an idol, we are prone to chasing relics rather than the Redeemer. Our boast is not in the inherent power of a piece of wood, but in the promises God attached to Christ’s sacrifice. Today, we don’t need to hunt for ancient slivers of timber to find God’s favor. Instead, Christ continues to deliver the fruits of the cross by connecting them to other creatures: the water of Baptism, the Bread and Wine of the Eucharist. We honor the cross by putting ourselves in proximity to these gifts to receive them in faith, where the victory won at the cross is delivered directly to us today.

Listen to the homily below.

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