Today we exalt the Cross. Strange, isn’t it? Normally, we exalt success, achievement, and victory. Yet today, the Church lifts high an instrument of suffering and death.
Why? Because when Jesus embraced the Cross, an instrument of death became a sign of life; a symbol of shame became a symbol of love; what looked like defeat became victory.
Our readings give us three simple invitations.
When life brings you down, look up
In the first reading, the Israelites were bitten by poisonous serpents. God told them to look at the bronze serpent raised by Moses, and those who looked upon it lived.
We too are “bitten” by many things—sickness, family problems, betrayal, disappointment, loneliness, even our own mistakes.
When these bring you down, look up to the Cross.
The wounds of Jesus tell you, “I understand your pain.” His open arms tell you, “You are not alone.” And His Resurrection tells you, “Your suffering will not have the last word.”
When the world tells you to rise above others, bend down and serve.
St. Paul tells us that Jesus “humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.”
The world says: Go higher. Become important. Let people serve you.
Jesus does the opposite. He bends down. He empties Himself. He serves.
This is especially important for those of us entrusted with authority—bishops, priests, government officials, parents, teachers.
The higher God allows us to rise, the more willing we should be to bend down and serve.
We may wear a cross around our neck, but the greater challenge is to carry its humility in our heart.
When loving becomes difficult, love until it costs
Jesus tells us: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.”
Notice that word: gave.
God did not simply say, “I love you.” He gave Himself.
Real love costs something. Parents sacrifice for their children. Spouses forgive each other. Priests give themselves to their people. Christians make room for the poor and suffering.
Love eats last
There is a simple story about a boy who noticed one evening that there was not enough food for everyone. His mother quietly placed the best piece of fish on his plate and kept only a little rice and sauce for herself.
The boy asked, “Mama, aren’t you hungry?”
She smiled: “I’m okay. You eat.”
Years later, he understood: his mother had been hungry too. She simply loved him more than she loved her own comfort.
Final Words
That little dining table gives us a glimpse of Calvary. Jesus did not love us from a distance. He gave Himself for us.
So when you look at the Cross today, remember:
When life brings you down, look up.
When the world tells you to exalt yourself, bend down and serve.
When love becomes difficult, love until it costs.
For the Cross teaches us that what looks like defeat in the eyes of the world can become victory in the hands of God.