“Christ Jesus emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on across.” ”(Philippians 2:7-9). Seldom does the feast day of the Exaltation of the Cross fall on a Sunday, bringing attention to the foremost symbol of our Christian faith throughout the world. As St. Teresa of Avila reminds us, "Let us look to the cross and be filled with peace, knowing that Christ has walked this road and walks it now with us and with all our brothers and sisters." Of the many forms the ‘cross of Christ ’takes, I’ve included a few of the more prominent. The Latin Cross, also called CruxImmissa, is the most recognized symbol of Christianity. Its vertical beam is longer than the horizontal, representing the structure of the cross on which Jesus was crucified as described in the Gospels (Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, John 19). The Orthodox cross features three crossbars: the top bar for “INRI, ”the main bar for the arms, and a slanted bottom bar representing the footrest (Luke 23:39–43).Widely used in Russian, Serbian, Slavic Orthodox churches..
The Jerusalem Cross, also known as the Crusader Cross, has one large central cross surrounded by four smaller ones, representing Christ’s five wounds or the spread of Christianity to the four corners of the earth. First used in the 11th century by the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. Today, it’s used by the Franciscan Order. The Cross of Constantine combines the Greek letters chi (Χ)and rho (Ρ), the first two of Christos. Emperor Constantine reportedly saw this symbol in a vision before battle. After his victory, it became a central Christian emblem. The Papal Cross has three horizontal bars, representing the Pope’s authority as bishop, patriarch, and head of the Church. It is reserved exclusively for the Pope and is mostly seen in papal The Celtic Cross combines a Latin cross with a nimbus ring, likely a Christian adaptation of ancient solar discs The ring may symbolize eternity or divine light, popular in Irish cemeteries, and a symbol of the Irish immigrants. The Calvary Cross, a variation of the Latin cross stands atop three steps, symbolizing faith, hope, and charity(1 Corinthians 13:13). Often seen in church architecture, with the triple base representing Mount Calvary, grounding the crucifixion in both geography and virtue. God Bless, Fr. Tim FYI: “September tries its best to have us forget summer.”(Bernard Williams)