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In exaltationem venerandae crucis

To the Exaltation of the venerable Cross.

59.679 Every change from worse things to better things works the greatest joy and gladness for the human race. For human nature, desiring better things, is constituted to always hasten toward the attainment of what is best. Thus indeed, the transition from a storm to fair weather and calm is pleasant to those who sail; and the quiet of rest after toil is pleasant to travelers; and the change from dejection to gladness is pleasant to those who grieve; and the recovery from sickness to health and vigor is sweeter to those who are ill; and the confirmation of friendship and peace after enmity is pleasant to enemies; and the change from darkness and night to day is sweeter. And every action, so to speak, has a sweeter effect when it works a benefit for those who desire it. Thus indeed we see also the enjoyment given to us by God, providing us gladness through change.

For grain is so pleasant; but when cast with labor into the earth and multiplied, it is shown to be sweeter, being received with all joy into an abundance of food. For in sowing it is a single grain cast into uncertainty. So also the nature of the vine provides us a sweeter rest, bringing forth drink from the wood by the transformation of its fruit. For the tendrils and leaves have a very harsh and astringent quality, so that it is not even possible for the mouth to touch them for a taste; but the grape, growing together with tendrils and leaves on one branch, has such a sweet sensation as to sweeten the state of bitter and grievous things, providing its own fruit for gladness in drinking. So also the stock of the olive has an evergreen leaf, and the tree is ever-young; and in season its fruit is borne, not appearing from the wood like all others, but displaying a certain particular nature in itself. For first it is clothed in a blossom like the finest dust, and in the midst of this it sprouts up like a millet-grain; and while resembling a cluster it displays an innumerable multitude, but as it proceeds to grow, it is rid of the multitude as being useless, and it is bitter when tasted until the end, but tasteless when taken in the hands; but through this becoming the guardian of its own richness, by the transformation of its bitterness it provides so sweet a taste, that it is brought in as a seasoning for every delicacy, and becomes a mixture for every feast for the life of men. And so the whole nature of plants and seeds provide gladness to all by the transformation of their fruits. Since, therefore, the change from harsher things to better ones bestows such enjoyment, come now, let us move on to things more precious than these; let us behold of how many good things the cross of Christ has become the author for us, having worked so great a change of good things through its power. For even if the cross of the Lord is grievous and grim to hear of, yet it is full of joy and replete with brightness, having become the cause not of suffering, but of freedom from suffering.

And if it is also called a stumbling block to the Jews, and proclaimed as foolishness to the Gentiles, yet to us who believe it is remembered as salvation. For even if in church, when the cross is read of, and the passion through the cross is remembered, the people who believe in the cross are indignant, letting out a pitiful cry and a murmur, it is not because of the cross, but because of those who crucified and disbelieved. For the cross

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In exaltationem venerandae crucis

Εἰς τὴν Ὕψωσιν τοῦ τιμίου Σταυροῦ.

59.679 Πᾶσα μὲν ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν χειρόνων ἐπὶ τὰ κρείττονα μεταβολὴ μεγίστην χαρὰν

καὶ εὐφροσύνην τῷ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων κατεργάζεται. Πέφυκε γὰρ ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη φύσις, τῶν κρειττόνων ὀρεγομένη, ἀεὶ σπεύδειν ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν βελτιόνων κατάληψιν. Οὕτω γοῦν ἡδεῖα τοῖς πλέουσιν ἡ ἐκ χειμῶνος εἰς εὐδίαν καὶ γαλήνην μετάβασις· ἡδεῖα δὲ καὶ τοῖς ὁδοιπόροις ἡ ἐκ καμάτου ἐπ' ἀνάπαυσιν ἡσυχία· ἡδεῖα δὲ καὶ τοῖς λυπουμένοις ἡ ἐκ κατηφείας εἰς εὐφροσύνην μετάθεσις· ἡδυτέρα δὲ καὶ τοῖς νοσοῦσιν ἡ ἐξ ἀσθενίας εἰς ὑγίειαν καὶ εὐρωστίαν ἀνάληψις· ἡδεῖα δὲ καὶ τοῖς πολεμίοις ἡ ἀπὸ ἔχθρας εἰς φιλίαν καὶ εἰρήνην βεβαίωσις· ἡδυτέρα δὲ καὶ ἡ ἀπὸ τοῦ σκότους καὶ τῆς νυκτὸς εἰς τὴν ἡμέραν μετάπτωσις. Καὶ πᾶσα πρᾶξις, ὡς ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ἡδυτέραν ἔχει τὴν ἐργασίαν, ὅταν ὄφελος μετὰ τοῖς ποθοῦσιν αὐτὴν ἀπεργάζηται. Οὕτω γοῦν ὁρῶμεν καὶ τὴν ὑπὸ Θεοῦ δεδομένην ἡμῖν ἀπόλαυσιν, τῇ μεταβολῇ τὴν εὐφροσύνην ἡμῖν παρεχομένην.

Σῖτος μὲν γάρ ἐστιν οὕτως ἡδύς· εἰς δὲ τὴν γῆν μετὰ κόπου καταβαλλόμενος καὶ πολυπλασιαζόμενος, ἡδύτερος ἀναδείκνυται μετὰ πάσης χαρᾶς εἰς πλῆθος τροφῆς λαμβανόμενος. Εἷς μὲν γάρ ἐστι τῷ σπόρῳ κόκκος εἰς ἀδηλίαν ῥιπτόμενος. Οὕτω καὶ φύσις ἀμπέλου ἡδυτέραν ἡμῖν παρέχει τὴν ἀνάπαυσιν, τῇ μεταβολῇ τοῦ καρποῦ τὸ ποτὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου προφερομένη. Ἕλικες μὲν γὰρ καὶ φύλλα δριμυτάτην καὶ στυπτικωτάτην ἔχουσι τὴν ἐνέργειαν, ὡς μηδὲ στόματι δυνατὸν πρὸς γεῦσιν ἐφάψασθαι· σταφυλὴ δὲ σὺν ἕλιξι καὶ φύλλοις ἐν ἐνὶ ξύλῳ συμφυομένη, τοιαύτην γλυκεῖαν ἔχει τὴν αἴσθησιν, ὡς γλυκαίνειν τῶν πικρῶν καὶ λυπηρῶν τὴν ἕξιν, τὸν ἴδιον καρπὸν εἰς εὐφροσύνην τῇ πόσει παρεχομένη. Οὕτω καὶ τῆς ἐλαίας τὸ πρέμνον ἀειθαλὲς μὲν ἔχει τὸ φύλλον, ἀεὶ δὲ νεάζον τὸ δένδρον· φέρεται δὲ κατὰ καιρὸν ὁ καρπὸς, οὐχ ὁμοίως τοῖς πᾶσιν ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου φαινόμενος, ἀλλ' ἰδίαν τινὰ φύσιν ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἐπιδεικνύμενος. Ἄνθος μὲν γὰρ πρῶτον ὡς χοῦν λεπτότατόν ἐστι περιβαλλόμενος, ἐν μέσῳ δὲ τούτου αὐτός ἐστιν ὡς κέγχρος ἀναφυόμενος· καὶ βότρυϊ μὲν παρεοικὼς πλῆθος ἀναρίθμητον ἐπιδείκνυται, εἰς αὔξησιν δὲ προϊὼν, τοῦ πλήθους μὲν ὡς ἀνωφελοῦς ἀπαλλάττεται, καὶ πικρὸς μέν ἐστιν ἕως τέλους ἀπογευόμενος, ἄγευστος δὲ διὰ χειρῶν λαμβανόμενος· φύλαξ δὲ διὰ τούτου τῆς ἑαυτοῦ πιότητος γινόμενος, ἤδη τῆς πικρότητος τῇ μεταβολῇ τοσαύτην ἡδεῖαν παρέχει τὴν γεῦσιν, ὡς πάσης μὲν τρυφῆς ἄρτυμα παρεισφέρεσθαι, πάσης δὲ ἑστιάσεως κέρασμα πρὸς τὴν ζωὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων γίνεσθαι. Καὶ οὕτω πᾶσα φύσις φυτῶν τε καὶ σπερμάτων τῇ μεταβολῇ τῶν καρπῶν τὴν εὐφροσύνην τοῖς πᾶσι παρέχουσιν. Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν τῶν χαλεπωτέρων ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν βελτιόνων μεταβολῇ τοσαύτην χαρίζεται τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν, φέρε δὴ, μεταβάντες ἐπὶ τὰ τούτων τιμιώτερα; θεασώμεθα πόσων ἡμῖν ἀγαθῶν πρόξενος γέγονεν ὁ σταυρὸς τοῦ Χριστοῦ, διὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ ἐνεργείας τοσαύτην μεταβολὴν ἀγαθῶν κατεργασάμενος. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ λυπηρὸς καὶ στυγνὸς ὁ τοῦ Κυρίου σταυρὸς ἀκουόμενος, ἀλλὰ χαρᾶς πλήρης καὶ φαιδρότητος ἔμπλεος, οὐ πάθους, ἀλλ' ἀπαθείας αἴτιος γενόμενος.

Εἰ δὲ καὶ σκάνδαλόν ἐστιν Ἰουδαίοις ὀνομαζόμενος, μωρία δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσι κηρυττόμενος, ἀλλ' ἡμῖν τοῖς πιστεύουσι σωτηρία μνημονευόμενος. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ σταυροῦ ἀναγινωσκομένου, καὶ πάθους διὰ σταυροῦ μνημονευομένου, λαὸς ὁ σταυρῷ πιστεύων ἀγανακτεῖ ἐλεεινὴν φωνὴν καὶ γογγυσμὸν ἀφιέμενος, οὐ διὰ τὸν σταυρὸν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τοὺς σταυρώσαντας καὶ ἀπιστήσαντας. Σταυρὸς γὰρ