"Had there been no cross, Christ could not have been crucified. Had there been no cross, life itself could not have been nailed to the tree. And if life had not been nailed to it, there would be no streams of immortality pouring from Christ’s side, blood and water for the world’s cleansing. The legal bond of our sin would not be canceled, we should not have attained our freedom, we should not have enjoyed the fruit of the tree of life and the gates of paradise would not stand open. Had there been no cross, death would not have been trodden underfoot, nor hell despoiled." (St. Andrew of Crete)

As we celebrate the Feast of the Exultation of the Cross, we have these words from St. Andrew to reflect on. The cross was not something Jesus looked forward to with excitement, otherwise his prayer to the Father would not have been necessary. "Father, take away this cup." But Jesus embraced the cross because he loved the Father and he loved us. The price Jesus paid for our eternal salvation was his own life. He suffered the excruciating torture and death of crucifixion, so that we may not have to suffer alienation from God in eternal fires. With St. Paul we can proclaim that we rejoice in the cross of Jesus. So we make the sign of the cross as a remembrance. We wear a cross to profess our faith. We adore Jesus crucified in gratitude.