September 6, 2026
The Vexilla Regis is a hymn in Latin by Saint Venantius Fortunatus, Bishop of Poitiers, the greatest poet of the 6th century, composed in honor of the Holy Cross.
This hymn, which in the Gregorian tradition is sung during Holy Week and on the feast day of the Glorious Cross, extols the mystery of the Cross.
For all Christians, the Cross is the sign of their belonging to Christ. On the Cross, it is of course Christ whom we adore. Here the Cross is personified to bring into full light the mystery it reveals: “Fulget Crucis mysterium.” ‘Fulget’ in Latin means: ‘To shine, to cast a brilliant light’, which already brings to mind the mystery of the Resurrection.
With Christ crucified and glorified, the Cross is no longer a symbol of death and darkness, but a banner (Vexilla) of victory, a manifestation of the victory of light over darkness. Let us reflect on this when we make the sign of the Cross: it is the sign of Christ’s victory over us: He has saved us! The symbol speaks of the mystery; it points to an invisible yet real reality. On the Cross, it is the Crucified One, it is absolute Love that gives itself and reveals itself, it is a Love that gives itself even unto death. The Cross, an instrument of torture and death, becomes a sign of Life and Love. The entire hymn sings of this to us.
« Qua vita mortem pertulit, et morte vitam protulit. »
“Through it, Life suffered death, and through its death, gave us Life.”
Here, through the inversion of the words “life” and “death,” the poet expresses the wondrous exchange that only divine Wisdom can bring about: the instrument of death of the Crucified One becomes a source of Life!
« Vexilla regis » = the King’s banner
The Cross as a banner (Zech 9:9): this brings us to other biblical references. Consider the bronze serpent that Moses raised in the desert to heal the people of Israel, whom God had punished through the bites of the serpents He had sent (Num 21:8). The bronze serpent was placed by Moses on a standard: the symbol of death that one must look upon to have life (certainly the origin of the caduceus of medicine).
The Cross is a banner, a flag, a symbol of life that proclaims victory and healing, which gathers and unites the Christians who gather around it.
St. Thomas Aquinas speaks thus of Jesus carrying his Cross:
“Christ carries his cross as a king carries his scepter,
as the victor carries the trophy of his victory,
as a teacher carries the lampstand
on which the lamp of his doctrine was to be placed.”
« Regnavit a ligno Deus » = God will reign through the wood.
We may also note this symbol of wood (ligno). God’s presence in the Old Testament is often manifested through wood: Noah’s ark (Genesis 6:14), the Ark of the Covenant(Exodus 25:10), Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 6:18).
Through the wood, Jesus dwells among us: He is the ark that saves us; He is the new Temple rebuilt in three days, built by God Himself; He is the Ark of the Covenant that shelters the Word of God: on the Cross, Jesus teaches His masterful lesson of Love. God is silence, but He allows the Cross, through its symbol, to speak of what no words can express: His infinite and victorious love.
Wood is also the material of the altar of burnt offering (1 Kings 18:30–39). The Cross is the altar where God offers Himself for us; He is the Lamb sacrificed to save us.
« Ligno Deus. Arbor decora. » = Splendid tree.
Wood has become the “Tree”: death has come back to life! It is also a wonderful symbol that runs throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Jesus is the grain of wheat, the mustard seed that must die when planted in the ground to become a great tree that gives eternal life.
“Christ suffered for you (…) he who, on the Wood, bore our sins in his own body.” (1 Pet 2:24)
“Christ became obedient unto death, even death on a Cross.” (Phil 2:8)
“If it dies, it bears much fruit.” (Jn 12:24)
“I am the Resurrection and the Life.” (Jn 11:25)
May all the signs of the cross we trace upon our bodies be the banner of Life’s Victory over death.
Hail, O Cross, our only hope!
Grant, during this time of the Passion,
abundant grace to faithful hearts,
and forgiveness to guilty hearts.
Trinity, source of salvation,
all spirits sing your praise.
Victorious through your Cross,
they shall receive their reward. Amen!
