“IN THIS SIGN YOU WILL CONQUER’’
In 312 A.D Constantinethe Great prayed to the Lord God of the Christians to help him win his battle against Maxentius. According to stories, in response to Constantine’s prayer, a sign appeared in the sky. A radiant cross was seen with the words “IN THIS SIGN YOU WILL CONQUER’’ inscribed on it. Eventually, Constantine won the battle over Maxentius, and he attributed the victory to the God of the Christians. The emperor then commanded that the sign of Christianity be inscribed on the Roman standards and on the shields of all the soldiers.
Believing that the cross was a very powerful sign, he sought the true cross of Jesus Christ. It was on September 14, 326, that Queen Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, found it in Jerusalem and Constantine decreed that two churches be established on Mount Calvary.
The cross of Jesus Christ is a very powerful symbol for it is a symbol of Christ’s selfless love for all humanity. Jesus transformed the cross from a symbol for punishment into a symbol of redemption. He transformed it from a symbol of meaningless death into a symbol of life-giving sacrifice.
The challenge of today’s feast is for us to look favorably at our suffering today. Our suffering, if united with the suffering of Christ, can also bring life. Like Saint Paul, we can also say that we rejoice in our sufferings because we know that “Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.’’’ (Romans 5:3)
May the cross remind us all of the hope and love that Jesus offered us. May we also be able to transform our suffering into grace-filled moments of life and love.
Believing that the cross was a very powerful sign, he sought the true cross of Jesus Christ. It was on September 14, 326, that Queen Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, found it in Jerusalem and Constantine decreed that two churches be established on Mount Calvary.
The cross of Jesus Christ is a very powerful symbol for it is a symbol of Christ’s selfless love for all humanity. Jesus transformed the cross from a symbol for punishment into a symbol of redemption. He transformed it from a symbol of meaningless death into a symbol of life-giving sacrifice.The challenge of today’s feast is for us to look favorably at our suffering today. Our suffering, if united with the suffering of Christ, can also bring life. Like Saint Paul, we can also say that we rejoice in our sufferings because we know that “Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.’’’ (Romans 5:3)
May the cross remind us all of the hope and love that Jesus offered us. May we also be able to transform our suffering into grace-filled moments of life and love.
Source:
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/220459/feast-triumph-holy-cross
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