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The heart of the liturgical service on Good Friday is the adoration of the cross, which incorporates the ritual of the unveiling: The pope receives from the deacon a cross veiled in purple. Three times he uncovers a part of the cross until it is completely revealed, and the actions are accompanied by these solemn words: "Behold the wood of the cross, on which hung the Savior of the world."
To me, this ancient liturgical ritual is the symbol of the mystery of the cross being gradually revealed throughout the centuries. Each stage in the unveiling represents a period of time, or a stage, in the history of salvation. The first stage represents the cross as it is prefigured in the Old Testament; the second stage represents the cross accomplished in the life of Jesus, the “cross of history”; and the third represents the cross as it is celebrated in the church, the “cross of faith.”
The Cross throughout History. What did “wood” or “tree” represent in the Old Testament? It was the tree of life planted in the garden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, around which rebellion takes place when human beings claim the right to decide for themselves what is good and what is…
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