Cross of life
Listening the Spirit
Heavenly Father, on this Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, we lift up our hearts to you in gratitude. You have revealed your profound love for the world through the lifting up of your Son, Jesus, on the wood of the cross. As we reflect on the mystery of this saving act, open our minds and hearts to understand that it is through this sign of your Son's ultimate sacrifice that we are offered eternal life, not condemnation. May the light of the cross guide us, strengthen us in our faith, and inspire us to live lives that reflect the boundless mercy you have shown us. Amen.
Listening the Word: John 3:13-17
Jesus said to Nicodemus:
"No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Reflection
This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This feast reminds us that the Cross is not a sign of suffering, but of love and salvation.
In the Book of Numbers, the people of Israel complained to God and Moses about the difficulties they were experiencing in the desert. Serpents made them suffer, but God sent salvation with a serpent on a pole. The same image is used in medicine to this day.
God offers salvation when we suffer; sometimes we forget His works and cease to be grateful. But He is always merciful, willing to forgive and never abandon us.
In the Gospel, Jesus tells us that, just as Moses lifted up the serpent, He must be lifted up on the Cross. The Cross, which was a sign of suffering, becomes an instrument of salvation. Jesus gives His life out of love so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.
Saint Paul reminds us of the humility of Christ, who, being God, became man, obedient to the point of death on the Cross. Therefore, God exalted him above all else. Therefore, the Cross shows us that true greatness lies in humility and love.
The Cross is a sign of hope; it reminds us that, regardless of our struggles, our mistakes, or our sins, God's love can transform everything into life and salvation. Let us look to Jesus on the Cross with faith, trust in his mercy, and live with love for God and our neighbor.
Reflection Questions
How does the parallel between Moses lifting up the bronze serpent in the desert and Jesus being lifted up on the Cross help us understand God’s consistent pattern of bringing salvation through what might initially appear to be symbols of suffering or death?
If the Cross transforms from being “a sign of suffering” into “an instrument of salvation” through Christ’s sacrificial love, what does this teach us about how God can transform the difficult circumstances and struggles in our own lives into sources of hope and redemption?
