Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross: Aquinas on the fittingness of the cross

 

In this reflection I’d like to offer the seven reasons St. Thomas Aquinas gives for why it was fitting for Jesus to die on a cross. Aquinas expounds on these reasons in  question 46, article 4 of the Summa Theologica. By reflecting on these seven reasons given by Aquinas, hopefully we may begin to more deeply appreciate this feast day in which we exalt the Holy Cross of Christ.

The first reason Aquinas gives for why it was fitting for Jesus to die by crucifixion is that it is an example of virtue for us. Aquinas quote St. Augustine who says that one reason Jesus came down from heaven was to show us how to live righteously. One part of righteous living is to not fear things which shouldn’t be feared. Many people are afraid of death and are afraid of the manner in which they will die. Jesus chose an excruciating (ex – cruce literally means ‘from the cross’) way to die in order to set an example for us to also die courageously.  

The second reason Aquinas gives for Christ dying by crucifixion on a cross is that it parallels the reason why we need atonement for our sins in the first place. Just as by a tree man fell from grace in the garden, so too, by a tree shall man be restored to grace. St. Augustine says, "Adam despised the command, plucking the apple from the tree: but all that Adam lost, Christ found upon the cross."

The third reason Aquinas gives is that by being lifted up on the cross he purified and renewed the cosmos. Just as his blood poured out renewed the earth, his being lifted up renews the air, sky, and celestial realm of creation.

The fourth reason given by Aquinas is that by dying on the cross, Christ prepares a way of ascent for us into heaven. “If I be lifted up from the earth, I draw all things to myself” John 12:32

The fifth reason that it was fitting for Christ to be crucified on a cross is because the shape of the cross is itself a symbol of universal salvation. St. Gregory of Nyssa says “the shape of the cross extending out into four extremes from their central point of contact denotes the power and the providence diffused everywhere of Him who hung upon it” and St. John Chrysostom says, “He dies with outstretched hands in order to draw with one hand the people of old, and with the other those who spring from the Gentiles."

The sixth reason is that the cross is itself a teaching about virtue and God’s love. St. Paul writes about the breadth, height, width, and depth of the love of God (See Colossians 3:18). St. Augustine says that the breadth of the cross is the beam which Christ’s arms are outstretched and represents the good works man does. The length of the beam refers to the vertical part that goes from the good works to the ground which represents the virtues of standing and abiding in God even in suffering. The height of the cross is the beam the extends vertically above the horizontal beam and is at the head of the crucified Christ. The head of Jesus is the supreme hope and desire of every soul. Last, the part of the cross that goes into the ground is the depth. It is hidden from view yet is the source and foundation of the entire cross. It represents the depth of gratuitous grace. St. Augustine goes on to say that "The tree upon which were fixed the members of Him dying was even the chair of the Master teaching."

The last reason Aquinas give is that the cross corresponds to many objects and events in the stories of the old testament. Noah’s ark, which preserved the human race from the flood was made of wood, the Passover sacrifice at the Exodus had a door post that looked like a cross as the means of deliverance for the people. Moses with a rod divided the red sea and delivered the people. Moses’ wooden rod turned bitter water into sweet water and made water originate miraculously from a rock. The ark of the covenant is made of wood and is a type of the blessed virgin who will carry God in her womb. All of these types are steps along the way to the wood of the cross.

Let's take some time to meditate on the reasons and ask St. Thomas to pray for us to enter more deeply into the mystery of Christ's Holy Cross.