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

Beloved in Christ. Today’s feast of the Exaltation of the Cross celebrates the good news. God turned the tragedy of Calvary into triumph for us all. This day is also called the Triumph of the Cross. The liturgy of the Cross is a triumphant liturgy. When Moses lifted up the bronze serpent over the people, he foreshadowed the salvation through Jesus. This salvation came when Jesus was lifted up on the Cross. So today when Mother Church sings of the triumph of the Cross, it is the instrument of our redemption.

Briefly, this feast goes back to the day when Saint Helena discovered what was believed to be the true cross. She was the mother of the Emperor Constantine. This event took place on 14th September, 320. Her son, the emperor, built a basilica over the site of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. It was dedicated on 13th September 335. The next day, the 14th September, the cross that Saint Helena had discovered was brought to the Basilica. She had found it fifteen years earlier. The cross was then venerated.

Legend has it that the current-day Church of the Holy Sepulcher is in Jerusalem’s old city. It stands on the site of Constantine’s Basilica.

Dear friends, in the gospel reading, Jesus speaks of himself as the Son of Man. He must be lifted up, exalted. The language of being lifted up suggests not just his being lifted up on the cross in crucifixion. It also suggests his being lifted up at the resurrection in glory. In the earliest depictions of Christ on the cross, the emphasis is not on the suffering Christ. It is not on the man of sorrows. The emphasis is on the glorious Christ reigning from the Cross.

Today we celebrate the good news that the glory of God shone through Jesus on the cross. Jesus on the cross reveals the powerful and glorious presence of God’s love drawing all people to himself. Beloved, though our celebration today, the “Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross,” is first and foremost a feast. We give glory to the Father for what He did in the Person of His divine Son. It is also a feast by which we must humbly understand. God can “exalt” every cross we endure in life. He can bring forth much grace through them.

Friends in Christ, the death of Jesus on the Cross is not an accident. It is not a misfortune. Neither was it a tragedy. The Cross was means by which God saved us. So, comprehending this fact should lead us to the realization that God can do anything and everything. God can use the worst and transform it into the best. He can use death to bring forth life.

The truth is that whatever your heaviest cross is, it has extraordinary potential. That cross can become a source of grace in your life and in the world. But this is only possible if you embrace that cross in faith and hope. Our Lord can then unite it to His. Your crosses can also share in the exaltation of Christ’s Cross.

The feast thus invites us to look upon the Cross of Jesus not just as an instrument of death. It invites us to see it as a source of life. The cross is the focal point of God’s life-giving, healing and reconciling love. The triumph of the Cross is the triumph of love over hatred, of life over death. As we look upon the cross, let us allow ourselves to be drawn to Jesus and through him to God.

For in the gospel of today, Jesus says, ‘When I am lifted up from the earth. I will draw all people to myself’. When we allow ourselves to be drawn by the Lord’s love shining from the Cross, our hearts will be renewed. We will be empowered to share his love with others. This is in response to the Lord’s call, ‘Love one another, as I have loved you’.

Beloved in Christ, the triumph of the cross shows itself in all kinds of simple ways. It shows in the tolerance and humour we show to each other against all the odds. It is in the willingness to let go of old hurts. It is seen in the bearing of terminal illness with patience and dignity. It shows in the fidelity to significant commitments when they become costly. It also shows in the loving service that endures even when it is not appreciated.

I call on each one of us to ponder today, upon our own crosses. As you do, try not to see them as a burden. Instead, realize the potential within those crosses.