FEAST OF THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS

Numbers 21:4b-9/Ps. 77:1-2,34-38/Phil. 2:6-11/John 3:13-17

This day is also called the Triumph of the Cross or Exaltation of the Cross. The liturgy today celebrates the centrality of the cross in our Christian life and its saving power for us who believe. When Moses lifted up the bronze serpent over the people, it was a foreshadowing of the salvation through Jesus when He was lifted up on the Cross. Mother Church sings of the triumph of the Cross, the instrument of our redemption.

To follow Christ, we must take up His cross, follow Him and become obedient until death, even if it means death on the cross. We identify with Christ on the Cross and become co-redeemers, sharing in His cross.

The feast of the Exaltation of the Cross is a reminder for us to trust in God and His providence. Everything in creation is under the providing care of God. Not only does God supply all things, but He arranges them according to his plan and for his glory. For us Christians, this ought to produce peace and comfort even when it appears that all is against us. So, brethren, let us not be disheartened and grow impatient during moments of fatigue, trials and, when we no longer have the strength to look up towards God.

For the Israelites, when they looked, they lived, and we, if we believe, we shall not perish; it is by faith that we look unto Jesus. The brazen serpent’s being lifted up would not cure if it was not looked upon. “Everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live…”

Another thing we need to note is that, the Cross of Jesus is our one true hope. Christ’s sacrificial triumph on the Cross, is that which gives us the hope of eternal salvation. The Cross is the ladder Jesus gave to lead us upward to heaven, and also a ladder we must embrace and climb. The Cross is the world’s greatest love story but we need to grasp that we are a central character in that romance.

So, brethren, the message of the love of the Cross that we have received enjoins us to equally proclaim it. It’s the most important message we can preach because it is the summary and essence of our Gospel reading today. We need to lift it higher and proclaim it more loudly in our loving deeds. We are invited to look upon the cross as the way of God’s life – giving life for us all, so as to allow ourselves to be drawn into that love so that we too can reflect it to others through our lives.

Finally, we celebrate the exaltation of the cross of Christ, because of its saving effect on the Christian life. While Christ was on the cross, water and blood flowed from his wounded side in order to save us from our sin and make us whole. Beloved, our sins may be great, but the power of Christ to forgive our sins is still greater. Let us look to the cross frequently, and realize that when we make the Sign of the Cross we give our entire self to God — mind, soul, heart, body, will, thoughts, signifying the fullness of redemption and that we belong to Christ.