Traditionally, Catholics have had crucifixes placed in a prominent place in their homes as a constant reminder of the great price through which our salvation was wrought. In historically Catholic areas of Europe wayside crucifixes were set up at the entrance to villages and towns and high atop mountains and hills often with the attached words: "A Cruce Salus" "In The Cross is Salvation" Even through the unfortunate secularization of the past decades these reminders serve as guideposts pointing the way toward salvation and the cornerstone of western civilization.
Fr John Hardon S.J. has as a definition of "A Cruce Salus":
Salvation comes from the Cross. No less than Christ redeemed the world by his cross, so are the faithful redeemed by patiently bearing their cross.
All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.
Our Lord has told us that there is no shortcut on the narrow road to perfection:
"And he said to all: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. " Luke 9:23
We would do well to meditate on this feast of the exaltation of the Holy Cross upon the acceptance of the crosses of our own daily lives. Each of us has a particular cross we are asked to bear. It could be a propensity or weakness toward alcoholism or drug abuse, a temptation, propensity or weakness toward disordered sexuality, a weakness or propensity toward gluttony, a temptation toward despair, depression and hopelessness, crippling physical or mental anguish or pain etc. The myriad effects of original sin are constantly at work within us. Our Lord calls us to embrace these crosses and to carry them after Him. Our natural inclination is to run from the cross but we cannot escape the cross as Thomas a Kempis says, "If you bear the cross willingly, it will bear you and lead you to your desired goal, where pain shall be no more; but it will not be in this life. If you bear the cross unwillingly, you make it a burden, and load yourself more heavily; but you must needs bear it. If you cast away one cross, you will certainly find another, and perhaps a heavier." The words taken from "Every man's way of the Cross" for the second station of the cross have always impressed upon me that the cross is everywhere....
Most willingly Jesus accepts and patiently bears His Cross for my sake. Will I refuse to bear my cross for His sake? No, my loving Redeemer, I will no longer seek to evade my cross, but with the Help of Thy Grace I will bear it with Christian patience and resignation and follow Thee always....My Jesus, Lord, I take my daily cross. I welcome the monotony that often marks the day, discomforts of all kinds, the summer's heat, the winter's cold, my disappointments, tensions, setbacks, cares. Remind me often that in carrying my cross, I carry yours with you. And though I bear a sliver only of your cross, you carry all of mine, except for a sliver, in return.
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