Ecce lígnum Crúcis

 

Christ’s Hour

Passiontide this year for me has focused in a particular way on Jesus’ embrace of His suffering and death upon the Cross. We learn that Jesus had to “fight” for His Cross so to speak, by withdrawing from certain situations of confrontation. Jesus even hid Himself from the crowds, thus choosing to exclude the possibility of His death by stoning. Just days prior to Palm Sunday, in the Temple on two occasions reported in the Gospel of St. John Jesus withdrew from almost certain death at the hands of the crowd. Our Lord did indeed choose the Cross as the instrument to complete the work of our Redemption.

In the 1962 Missal the passage from John 8:48-59 is put forward as the Gospel for the 1st Sunday of the Passion.

The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and he is the judge. Very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.” The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and so did the prophets; yet you say, ‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets also died. Who do you claim to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, he of whom you say, ‘He is our God,’ though you do not know him. But I know him; if I would say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him and I keep his word. Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad.” Then the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. [Harper Bibles. NRSV, Catholic Edition Bible: Holy Bible (pp. 2907-2908). Catholic Bible Press. Kindle Edition.]

The Gospel for Friday of the 1st Week of the Passion in the Novus Ordo from John 10:31-41 reports the Jews with stones in hand and Jesus once again avoiding arrest.

The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God.” Jesus answered, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If those to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’—and the scripture cannot be annulled— can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands. He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier, and he remained there. [Harper Bibles. NRSV, Catholic Edition Bible: Holy Bible (pp. 2912-2913). Catholic Bible Press. Kindle Edition.]

Talk of Jesus avoiding death by stoning can readily be seen in the light of His obedience of the Father’s will in all things and moreover His destiny to suffer death by crucifixion and not some other way of His own choosing. See John 12:27-33:

“Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say — ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. [Harper Bibles. NRSV, Catholic Edition Bible: Holy Bible (p. 2918). Catholic Bible Press. Kindle Edition.]

For the first time really in my life, I have come to see the connection between the veiling of crucifixes in particular, starting from the 1st Sunday of the Passion and the clear significance of the unveiling during the Solemn Liturgy of Good Friday, with this act taking place as the priest ascends the steps of the altar intoning three times the words “Behold the wood of the Cross on which hung the Savior of the world!” Ecce lígnum Crúcis, in quo sálus múndi pepéndit. In Christ’s death upon the tree of the Cross the debt of the sin of Adam is remitted, and the way no long barred to the tree of Life.

In the Mass during Passiontide the Preface of the Holy Cross serves to further focus this reflection. It is truly meet and just, right and profitable for us, at all times, and in all places, to give thanks to Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, eternal God: Who didst establish the salvation of mankind in the wood of the cross, that from whence death came into the world, thence a new life might spring, and that he who by a tree overcame, by a tree might be overthrown…

I always liked the Passiontide veils, but this year they make more sense. The thought of Christ withdrawing Himself from the gaze of those who would have stoned Him in order to make His date with the Cross on Good Friday makes it all just that much more profound.

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