Numbers 21:4b-9, Psalm 78 (77): 1-2, 34-38, Philippians 2:6-11 and John 3:13-17
The Cross: God’s Power of Love and Our Path to Life
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. At first, the very idea might seem strange: why would we exalt something that was once a tool of torture and shame? But the Church invites us today to lift high the Cross because it is no longer a sign of defeat—it has become the most significant symbol of victory, of life, and of God’s boundless love.
Let us journey through the Word of God and see how the readings shed light on the meaning of this feast.
- The Cross Foreshadowed in the Desert
In our first reading from the book of Numbers (21:4–9), the people of Israel were grumbling against God in the desert. They complained, lost patience, and turned against the very One who was leading them to freedom. As a result, poisonous serpents came among them, bringing death. But when they cried out in repentance, God instructed Moses to lift up a bronze serpent on a pole. Whoever looked at it was healed and lived.
This was not magic. It was an act of faith—looking upward, trusting in God’s mercy, realising that only He could save. The bronze serpent was a sign pointing ahead, foreshadowing the Cross of Christ.
- The Fulfilment in Christ
In the Gospel today (John 3:13–17), Jesus Himself explains this connection: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that all who believe may have eternal life.”
Here lies the heart of today’s feast. The Cross, once a sign of shame, becomes the very instrument of salvation. Jesus, the Son of God, willingly embraces it—not because He deserves punishment, but because He loves us to the end. As St Paul says in the letter to the Philippians (2:6–11), He “humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God highly exalted him.”
The humility of Christ is the power of the Cross. By going down into the depths of suffering and sin, He raises us up into life.
- The Theological Meaning of the Cross
The Gospel today teaches us that the Cross is not only the place of Jesus’ death but also the revelation of God’s immense love. “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him may not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16).
Notice: it is not fear, nor punishment, nor force that saves us—it is love. The Cross stands as the clearest message that God does not give up on humanity. The Cross shows us that God enters our pain, carries our burdens, and transforms suffering into life.
- Why Do We Celebrate This Feast?
The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross began in the 4th century. Tradition tells us that St Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, discovered the True Cross in Jerusalem around the year 326. Later, a church was built to enshrine this holy relic, and the dedication of that church was marked on this very date, September 14th. From then, the Church has celebrated the Cross, not as a relic of wood, but as the saving mystery of Christ’s sacrifice.
Today, we do not just look at the Cross as a historical event. We lift it high in our lives because through it the world was redeemed.
- Lessons for Us Today
But how do we bring this message home, to our own lives?
Jesus tells us elsewhere in the Gospels: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23). Each of us has a cross—sometimes it is illness, sometimes misunderstanding, sometimes struggles in family, work, or faith. We are not called to run from them, nor to be crushed by them, but to carry them with Christ.
• Carrying the Cross with patience: Like the Israelites, we may grumble and lose heart in trials. But looking to the Cross reminds us to trust God even in the desert moments of life.
• Carrying the Cross with love: A parent staying up at night with a sick child, a carer tending to an elderly parent, a person forgiving someone who has hurt them—all these are ways of embracing the Cross with love.
• Carrying the Cross with hope: The Cross always leads to resurrection. What seems heavy today can become the very source of grace tomorrow.
- Witness of the Saints
The saints show us how to live this mystery. St John Chrysostom once said, “The Cross is the trophy of victory over the devil; it is the sword raised against sin; it is the key that opens heaven.”
St Francis of Assisi, when he gazed upon the Crucifix of San Damiano, heard Christ speak to him: “Rebuild my Church.” The Cross moved him to surrender his life completely, to live in simplicity, humility, and love.
These saints remind us: the Cross is not just something to look at, but something to live.
- A Final Word of Encouragement
Brothers and sisters, today’s feast is not about exalting pain or suffering. It is about exalting love. It is about remembering that our God has entered into our human story so deeply that nothing—not even death—can separate us from Him.
Whenever we make the sign of the Cross, let us do so consciously, remembering that we mark ourselves with the very love that saves us. Whenever we face trials, let us recall that Jesus has already carried the heaviest load, and we walk in His footsteps.
So let us lift high the Cross—not in shame, but in glory. Let it be the banner that leads us, the comfort that sustains us, and the promise that strengthens us, until we share fully in the victory of Christ’s resurrection.
And so, my friends, as we go forth today, let us take this message to heart: The Cross is God’s power of love, and our path to life. May we never be ashamed of it, but embrace it daily, trusting that through the Cross comes resurrection, through surrender comes victory, and through love comes eternal life. Amen.
And so we say today, with hearts full of faith: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you—because by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world. Amen.
