Behold the Holy Cross, our salvation
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Readings: Numbers 21:4b-9; Psalm 78, R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!; Philippians 2:6-11; Gospel – John 3: 13-17
Today’s special feast is a reminder of one of the central mysteries of our faith that goes to the core of our redemption. Each Good Friday, we make this acclamation: “Behold the wood of the Cross on which is hung our salvation.”
We will reflect on the paradox of the Cross. Then we will deepen with Jesus’ reference in today’s Gospel to his being lifted up. Finally, we close with the most quoted lines from scripture, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…”
A paradoxical nature
The Cross, as part of the central mystery of our faith and the central symbol of it too, give our Christian faith its paradoxical nature.
We associate with the Cross these paradoxes. “In dying we are born into eternal life.” On the Cross, Christian hope springs forth as Jesus came to the threshold of despair. The Cross was at one and the same time a symbol of humanity’s cruelty and betrayal, and of God’s loving and forgiveness.
Yes, the Cross reminds us of these paradoxes of Christian faith, and even more important is that it opens for us a channel of grace, the grace of transformation and redemption.
On being lifted up
In the Gospel, Jesus refers to his being lifted up: “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.” This refers to his being lifted up on the Cross and in the Resurrection. He clearly pointed to this as the way to salvation.
Over 32 years ago, one Jesuit theologian, Fr. Randy Sachs, S.J., very edifyingly mentioned in a dinner conversation that there was only one proof of the divinity of Jesus, and it was the Cross and the Resurrection.
Moreover, it was, is, and will always be God’s final revelation. The way he put it was, in the Paschal mystery God revealed to us everything that he wanted to say. Nothing else follows.
This is how central the Cross—and the Resurrection—of Jesus was in our faith. It is the mystery that perfectly embodies that declaration, “Christ yesterday, today and forever.” And this is parallel to the grace that we believe that on the Cross our sins, past, present, and future were forgiven. This is a belief that is rooted in scripture, especially in several epistles of St. Paul.
“He gave his only son”
Finally, one of the most quoted lines from scripture, easily among the top three or five. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…” This simple line delivers a punch. In the mystery of our redemption, the initiative lies greatly with God.
In one of the final scenes of the movie “Ignacio de Loyola,” the conversion or transformation of St. Ignatius was beautifully portrayed in the river Cardoner scene. And in his autobiography, St. Ignatius referred to this experience as a profound beatific vision where he understood so much more than everything he had learned in his entire life.
While he did not elaborate, the terseness of his description communicated the depth of the experience.
The movie scene depicts him emerging from the waters of the river and praying his “signature” prayer: “Take and Receive, O Lord.” The prayer profoundly captured the grace of the conversion and transformation experience.
But what was even more profound was God’s response to his conversion and transformation, “Remember, I loved you first.”
The Cross and Resurrection was, is, and will always be the one moment in time that transformed the whole of creation and our existence. On the Cross the healing of all of creation, of all humanity took place, a grace that is yesterday, today, and forever.
