There is a story about a conversation of the pig and the chicken living on the family farm. They were discussing what kind of Sunday morning breakfast they might offer their host family. The chicken suggested a breakfast of ham and eggs. The pig was quick to reply: "Yes, for you that is charity; for me, it is commitment."
If the readings for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross are about anything, they are about the Son of God's commitment to make our life better, no matter what the personal cost.