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Views from the Choir Loft

The Triumph of the Cross

Fr. David Friel · September 14, 2011

The traditional Vespers hymn for the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross is Vexilla Regis, one of the greatest liturgical hymns in the Latin treasury.

I was reading over it last night to prepare a homily for today, and I was struck by the English translation given in the Mundelein Psalter. Although this particular translation actually adds a sentiment or two not present in the Latin, I found this line wonderfully enhanced: “Hail, holy altar . . . by which Life chose and welcomed death.” [Original: Salve, ara . . . que Vita mortem pertulit.]

Along with the many joys in your life, you can probably think of many crosses that have come your way. It’s not good enough, though, simply to have crosses in our lives. As Christians, we must “choose and welcome death.” Our crosses must become crucifixes!

We, ourselves, are to be the sacrificial victim. Jesus Christ is both Priest & Victim, and so must we be both. We must offer the sacrifice, and we must be the sacrifice. Only then, mysteriously, do our crosses become life-giving. We have to be able to say with St. Paul: “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ Who lives in me.”

Everyone who is baptized has been anointed Priest, Prophet, & King, so we have been given the power to lay down our lives (John 10:18)—the power to “choose and welcome death.” Insofar as we exercise that power—that is the Triumph of the Cross!

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel served as Parochial Vicar at Saint Anselm Church in Northeast Philly before earning a doctorate in liturgical theology at The Catholic University of America. He presently serves as Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and teaches liturgy at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    Vespers Booklet (4th Sunday of Lent)
    The organ accompaniment booklet (24 pages) which I created for the 4th Sunday of Lent (“Lætare Sunday”) may now be downloaded, for those who desire such a thing.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Vespers Booklet, 3rd Sunday of Lent
    The organ accompaniment I created for the 3rd Sunday of Lent (“Extraordinary Form”) may now be downloaded, if anyone is interested in this.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Weeping For Joy! (We Hope!)
    Listening to this Easter Alleluia—an SATB arrangement I made twenty years ago based on the work of Monsignor Jules Van Nuffel—one of our readers left this comment: “I get tears in my eyes each time I sing to this hymn.” I hope this person is weeping for joy!
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Orlando de Lassus died in Munich on 14 June 1594, the selfsame day his employer decided to dismiss him for economic reasons. He never saw the letter.”

— New Grove

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