Gospel: September 14, 2025

September 14, 2025 (Sunday)

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Psalter: Proper/(Red)

Ps 78:1bc-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38

Do not forget the works of the Lord!

1st Reading: Numbers 21:4b-9

2nd Reading: Philippians 2:6-11

Gospel: John 3:13-17

No one has ever gone up to heaven except the one who came from heaven, the Son of Man. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. Yes, God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but may have eternal life. God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world; instead, through him the world is to be saved.

Lectio Divina:

“The cross of Christ is about love, hope and salvation.”

Read: The Israelites lose faith in God and are bitten by fiery serpents. The people’s gaze toward the bronze serpent expresses renewed trust in God. God sent his Son to save us. We look to the cross of Christ with hope and trust in his victory.

See Also

Searing heat draws visitors to California’s Death Valley

Reflect: The cross was an instrument of agonizing death, so why do we give it exalted status? We do so because of the One who was nailed to it. Only Jesus, God made man, could break the bonds of sin and death and he did so by dying on the cross and rising again. Jesus changed the cross from being an object of shame into a means of victory. By faith we realize that the cross of Christ is about love, hope and salvation. The cross becomes the greatest expression of God’s infinite love for us and in turn, by our fidelity to him in our sufferings, the cross becomes the greatest expression of our love for him. Let’s imitate the Lord. Let’s share in his cross, so as to share in his glory.

Pray: Meditate with a crucifix today. Look upon the cross and adore Christ your Savior.

Act: Help shoulder the burden of Christ’s cross in another person’s life.