Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
(Numbers 21:4b-9; Philippians 2:6-11; John 3:16-17)
Like a stop sign, a cross is to call people’s
attention. Before it a person is to
pause and reflect. Jesus died on a cross. Although he was innocent, he was killed on a
cross out of human sin. The cross begs
the person in front of it to consider standing with Jesus or passing him
by.
Those who stand with Jesus believe in him. Like the man in Mark’s gospel who asks what
must he do to inherit eternal life, those who stand with Jesus must be prepared
to sacrifice all for his sake. In any
case, they must put aside selfish instincts so that they may love others from
the heart. Those who pass Jesus by will
love mostly themselves and anyone else who satisfies their needs.
If the cross is like a red light, it is also like a green light. Accepting its challenge to love all as Christ did, it signals us forward to the glory of his eternal life.
