801 discourse vi: the glorious cross He did not respond with anything, and remained immobile similar to the bronze serpents” (Orat. 25).53 And finally, since it is not the place that makes a man noble but the man who makes noble the place, ponder carefully if you can: What respect should now the once ignoble wood of the Cross enjoy, which was made noble by the One who hung upon it? [The One] whose dignity, excellence, and splendor no one can fully understand. For this reason, St. Jerome writes, “The image of the salvific cross embellishes the purple robes of kings and brilliant gems of crowns.”54 Turn your attention to the glory of the Cross itself: “Now on the heads of kings is placed that Cross, which His enemies had insulted,”55 adds St. Augustine. 2. However, I suppose that you desire to know, on account of your devotion to the crucified King of glory, the manner of His crucifixion. Matthew, describing this very briefly, says: “And when they had crucified [H]im, they divided [H]is garments among them by casting lots” (Mt 27:35). From these words, we can easily infer that the sacred robe of Christ our Lord was stripped fromHim before He was fastened to the fatal beam. Not without reason does the Doctor [of the Church] Anselm invoke Christ’s most holy Mother, as if speaking for her about these things: “When He had come to the most ignominious place of Calvary, they totally stripped Jesus, my only Son, of His clothing, and I was almost lifeless [on account of pain]; however, taking the covering of my head, I wrapped it around his loins” (said Anselm or whoever was the author of this dialogue of the Passion).56 The Seraphic Doctor57 agreed, as he said: “Therefore He was despoiled and now was naked for the third time in the presence 53 The source of this text was not able to be found. 54 Hieronymus, Epistola CVII ad Laetam: PL 22, 870. 55 Augustinus, Enarratio in Psalmum LIV, v. 10: PL 36-637. 56 This Dyalogus Anselmi devotissimi de passione Iesu Christi querentis et gloriosissimae Virginis Mariae respondentis is a dubious work of St. Anselm. Cf. Nicola De Lyre, OFM, Preceptorium, Coloniae 1504. 57 Cf. This is St. Bonaventure, a Franciscan and Doctor of the Church, who is known as “Doctor Seraphicus” († 1274); cf. Bonnefoy, Giovanni Francesco Bonaventura, santo. Dottore della Chiesa, ECat II, 1837-1845.
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