Today we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. In honouring the cross, we honour Jesus, who died out of love for us and by his death brought Salvation to the world. The Cross of Christ is the instrument of love through which God saved us. Christ took the price of all our sins upon himself and having died upon the cross, rose from the dead. This is the importance of the crucifix in the Christian Tradition. We do not have empty crosses because an empty cross didn't save us. Christ crucified is the sign of our salvation. Jesus taught us that the cross should be a constant feature in the daily lives of his followers. To take up the cross in this way we need to do more than wear a crucifix or place it in our surroundings. To take up the cross the way Jesus asks us to do is a way of life. It is to accept self-denial and sacrifice as part of our daily lives. Sacrifice means that I give up something that is of value to me for the sake of God and the benefit of my neighbour.