The “Vexilla Regis”
The feast of the Triumph of the Cross that
we celebrated this Sunday, September 14, reminds us of the mystery of the
Redemption. let us meditate on this mystery by
following the hymn of “Veilla Regis” that the Church
places on the lips of priests in the Vespers chant of this feast.
Let us at
first keep in mind the beautiful words of
All is said
and done here. Our salvation is accomplished by the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ by this sacrificial act on the wood of the Cross. Our salvation, our
life, our redemption depends on it. Also our glory is found exclusively in it,
not in our merits. This sacrifice, offered on the altar of the Cross by our
Lord Jesus Christ is a saving act, being theandric,
divine and human all at the same time. In him, by the grace of him, is
accomplished the remission of sins. This is expressed in the very formula of
the consecration of the wine into the blood of Christ: “For this is the Chalice
of My Blood... which shall be shed for you and for many unto the forgiveness of
sins”.
Thus the reasons why we must worship this Lord and Master.
In Him and in
his Cross is all hope, the hope of eternal life. In Him and in it is glory. The glory of Eternity.
In Him and in
it is our salvation, our liberation from the slavery of Satan because in it and
in Him lies the remission of our sins.
What a
marvelous mystery!
Let us
penetrate it a little, by meditating on the “Vexilla
Regis” which is important to learn by heart, to instill upon the still fresh
memories of our children.
“The
standards of the king advance
“It is the
mystery of the Cross”
“Vexilla Regis prodeunt
“Fulget Crucis Mysterium”
It is better to give to the verb “fulgere” its own sense and to translate it as “flashes
forth the mystery of the Cross”. It signifies: “to launch shafts of lightning,
to flash, to burst forth. It suggests the idea of a lightning action,
exploding. We will translate it as “The standards of the King advance. Flashes forth the Mystery of the Cross”.
The Cross is
the standard of Our Lord, the Redeemer. It is the flashing symbol, a symbol
where the Victory of Christ shines over the devil. It will be present upon the
return in glory of Our Lord Jesus Christ where his Lordship will definitely
shine over all things, over all the living. It is then the “pride” of the Lord.
It has presided at his victory. It is His glory. He holds up his luminous cross
as Saint Joan of Arc did with her standard. “He underwent pain, she states, it
is legitimate that He be honoured”. This is the Cross
of Our Lord. It underwent pain. It will be honoured.
“The standards of the King advance. Flashes forth the mystery
of the Cross”.
“Flashes forth the Mystery of the Cross where Life was subject to
Death.
“Producing by
death life”
“Qua Vita
mortem pertulit
“Et morta vitam protulit”
Here is
expressed the mystery of faith, the reason of our attachment to the Cross. All
the mystery of the Cross is in this opposition between life and death. It
brings us life. Since this time, it is the reason for our eschatological hope.
“Life was
subject to death”. “Pertulit” de “perfero”, a verb which means “bringing right to the end”,
“holding up to the end”. Life, i.e. Our Lord endured, supported up to
the end, right to the end of suffering, of death. It is the “usque ad finem” of
“Qua Vita
mortem pertulit”
Life! Yet, it
is Our Lord Jesus Christ himself. Thus He defines himself. “I am the Way, the
Truth and the Life”. He is life. He is the principle. The
principle of every being. Anything that is is
not without Him.
“All things
were made by Him and nothing that had been made had not been
made without Him”.
And because
Life had not been received: “He came to his heritage, and his own did not
receive him”. He underwent death. “Pertulit
mortem”. He went up to that point.
Well then, I
remember, in the faith, this crucifixion, this manifestation of love. “There is
no greater love than a man lay down his life for those he loves”. And since
this time, this crucifixion appears to me, as Saint Bernard wrote, “a sting of
love” from which I feel the bite. I am wounded from love, as the Song of songs says.
“I see King
Solomon, Saint Bernard yet says, with the diadem with which his mother crowned
him. I see the sole Son of the Father carrying his cross. I see the God of
majesty covered with wounds and soiled with spit, the author of life and of
glory, nailed to the wood, pierced by a lance thrust, saturated with ignominy
and who at last gives to his friends his soul so cherished. I see all this and
the sword of love pierces my heart... I see Life become death”. (Treatise of the love of God. Saint
Bernard). “Qua Vita mortem pertulit”.
Yet by this
death, I see life flourish again. “Et morte
vitam protulit”. By
this obedience of the perfect Son, by this gift of all of himself, I see the
justice of God appeased, satisfied. The original fault is no longer. Eternal
punishment is no longer to be feared. Our Lord, in His cross, has done enough,
has even done superabundantly. His act of love, his act of justice and of
mercy, his act of obedience “usque ad crucem”, though theandric, has
done more than enough. He has superabundantly ransomed the malice of original
sin. His offering on the cross was the ransom, the wages of the ransom, “the
spilled sum” of the liberation of the fallen victim, indeed, in the sin of
Adam, in the blows of Satan, in slavery and in death. An act of infinite
malice, sin, because it is addressed to God, aversio
a Deo, infinite Majesty, has been superabundantly
compensated by the act of Christ the Lord, in His passion. A theandric act. An act divine and
human all at the same time and, thus, an act of infinite goodness, since all
acts are relayed to the person and, in this case, this person is God.
This theandric act is, since the time of our liberation, our
deliverance, our life, our reconciliation with God. Adam was the principle of
our death, of our decline, of our slavery. Our Lord, the New Adam, is the
principle of our deliverance, of our liberation, of our freedom. This theandric act of Christ is the whole redeeming mystery.
Thus, with Saint Bernard, I can say in contemplating the Cross: “I finally see
death put to death and the author of death led behind the chariot of the One
who triumphs. I see captivity captive”. (Treatise of the love of God) It is
what the Vexilla regis says, under a poetic mode: “Qua Vita mortem pertulit et morte vitam prolulit” And Saint Bernard
comments: “”And from the cross, life again flourished...life sprung forth
anew”. “I perceive that the earth, which is under the ancient malediction,
would only produce brambles and thistles...death...,
flourishes anew, under the effect of a new benediction which makes it
young again”. And again Saint Bernard says concerning the subject of Christ,
crucified, died, resurrected: “His flesh, sown in
death, anew in the resurrection and his fragrance, spread throughout the fields
of our valley of tears, has made green again the deserts, heated up frozen
plants, brought life to all that was dead”. “Et morte vitam proluit”.
For Christ, truly, died in order to expiate for us, in our
place, our sins. It is the dogma of the Redemption that the prophet
Isaiah expresses so well in the poem of the suffering Servant: “Truly, it was
our illnesses that he carried and our pains that he took upon himself...He had
been pierced because of our sins, bruised for our iniquities. The punishment
which brings us peace had been placed unto him and it is by his wounds we are
healed...Yahweh made the iniquity of us all fall upon him... But when his soul
will have offered the expiatory sacrifice, he will see a
posterity (Life), he will prolong his days...” (Is. 53)
And since
then, I can understand this beautiful strophe of the Vexilla
Regis:
“Beata (crux) cuius brachiis
“Blessed
cross whose beams
had withstood the price of the world
“pretium pependit
saeculi”
“pretium”: The ransom for the
liberation of the world, a slave of Satan
“Et statera facta corporis
“Balance
where the body is weighed
“Tutitque praedam tartari
“Who ravishes
the prey to Hell”
And if that
is the way it is with the mystery, one will understand then the exclamation of
the following strophe, especially sung at the time of the pascal
Triduum: “O crux, ave, spes unica” “O Cross, salvation,
sole hope”. Sole hope of salvation, “For you have washed away (or annihilated)
the sins of the guilty”. “dele crimina”.
The verb “delere” means: to erase, destroy, ruin,
annihilate, exterminate”.
Sole hope for
you are the sole source of salvation. “Te, fons salutis”. Because you carried, because on you hung the sole capable victim,
because both human and divine, to expiate our sins, to repair the infinite
offense of original sin. “This is the chalice of My
blood...which will be shed for you and for many unto the forgiveness of sins”.
Thus this cry
of thanksgiving, of praise and of love should spring from our hearts: “Te fons salutis, Trinitas
collaudet omnis spiritus”. O Cross, source of salvation, that every spirit,
every creature, O Holy Trinity, give You glory. Praise
You. “Collaudare”. Let us
note the choice of this verb: “Col-laudare”, for cum-laudare. This glory, this praise should be an act, a
collective chant, from all. There is no question of the “gloria”
which is a hymn in honour of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
of the Holy Trinity, being the act of one sole person. Of one
sole priest. “Omnis spiritus
collaudat Deitatem” because
it is the source of salvation and of hope. “Fons salutis”.
“By the Cross
you have made us win. Give us as well the crown”
“Quibus Crucis victoriam”
“Largiris, adde praemium”
Thus, before
the Cross of Our lord, I can only express this prayer of Saint Bernard: “I will
love You, Lord, You who are my strength, my support, my refuge, my liberator
and all that is desirable and adorable. My God, my
help, I will love You for your gifts, and up to my measure which will indeed be
below the just measure, yet not inferior to my power to love. For as long as I
can give as much as I should, I would not go beyond my power. Without any
doubt, will I be capable of loving more when you will deign to bring me more
love, and however I would never love to the proportion to which You merit. Your eyes have seen my imperfection, but in your
book will have been written the names of those who do all they can, even if
they cannot do all that they should.” (Treatise of the love of God)