September 14
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Today's Gospel: John 3:13-17
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Today's
Gospel: John 3:13-17
(Exaltation of The Holy Cross)
(Jesus answered)
"No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son
of man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son
of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life." For
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him
should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world,
not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
Reflection:
Look at the Cross
today and see it for what it truly is: the loudest declaration of love ever
made. It is not whispered or even hinted at, but nailed into wood and lifted for
all the world to see. This is the day we exalt it, not because suffering is
beautiful, but because what it purchased is beyond beautiful. God so loved the
world; let us never forget that. He didn’t choose a nation or only a very few,
but rather the entire world, that includes you and me, and every soul who has
ever existed. God gave His only Son so that we would spend eternity with Him.
That is not some general theological idea. That is a Father who could not bear
the thought of eternity without us.
The ancient
Exultet captures this with a phrase that says it all: "O happy fault, O
necessary sin of Adam, which gained for us so great a Redeemer!" Even
our brokenness became the occasion for God's glory. He took the worst thing,
sin and death, and a criminal's execution, and He turned it into the doorway of
everlasting life. Jesus didn't descend from heaven to scold us into obedience.
He descended to be lifted up, so that everyone who looks to Him, the way Israel
once looked to the bronze serpent in the desert, would live. The Cross isn't a
symbol of defeat. It's actually the moment heaven reached down and refused to
let us go.
Saint Augustine
said it best: "God loves each one of us as if there were only one of us to
love." Read that again. He didn’t love us as part of a crowd; He loves us individually,
personally, and 100% completely, as if you were the only reason He came. And
here's the astonishing part: He still leaves the choice to you, our free will.
God will not force His way into your heart. He wants love that is freely given,
because love that is forced isn't love at all. So, He waits, patient and
relentless, for you to turn toward Him on your own.
That is the
invitation of the Exaltation of the Cross; it is not about guilt or fear, but a
standing offer of unstoppable joy. Give Jesus your whole heart, soul, and mind
for even thirty days and watch what happens. Your life will never be the same
in the presence of that kind of love; there’s no way it can. Try it and see if
you can go back to living any other way. See you all tomorrow. I leave you with
the Exultet once more, that ancient song still ringing true tonight.
"Rejoice,
heavenly powers! Sing, choirs of angels!"
As you lift your
eyes to the Cross today, what is it costing you to hold anything back from the
God who held nothing back from you? If He gave everything for your one soul,
what would it look like to give Him your whole heart in return, starting today?
Rosary Man Jim 🌹
Freely given. Freely shared.
