20250914 EMBRACING THE EXALTED CROSS
14 September 2025, Sunday, Exaltation of the Holy Cross
First reading | Numbers 21:4-9 |
If anyone was bitten by a serpent, he looked up at the bronze serpent and lived
On the way through the wilderness the people lost patience. They spoke against God and against Moses, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in this wilderness? For there is neither bread nor water here; we are sick of this unsatisfying food.’
At this God sent fiery serpents among the people; their bite brought death to many in Israel. The people came and said to Moses, ‘We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Intercede for us with the Lord to save us from these serpents.’ Moses interceded for the people, and the Lord answered him, ‘Make a fiery serpent and put it on a standard. If anyone is bitten and looks at it, he shall live.’ So Moses fashioned a bronze serpent which he put on a standard, and if anyone was bitten by a serpent, he looked at the bronze serpent and lived.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 77(78):1-2,34-38 |
Never forget the deeds of the Lord.
Give heed, my people, to my teaching;
turn your ear to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable
and reveal hidden lessons of the past.
Never forget the deeds of the Lord.
When he slew them then they would seek him,
return and seek him in earnest.
They would remember that God was their rock,
God the Most High their redeemer.
Never forget the deeds of the Lord.
But the words they spoke were mere flattery;
they lied to him with their lips.
For their hearts were not truly with him;
they were not faithful to his covenant.
Never forget the deeds of the Lord.
Yet he who is full of compassion
forgave them their sin and spared them.
So often he held back his anger
when he might have stirred up his rage.
Never forget the deeds of the Lord.
Second reading |
Philippians 2:6-11 |
Christ humbled himself but God raised him high
His state was divine,
yet Christ Jesus did not cling
to his equality with God
but emptied himself
to assume the condition of a slave
and became as men are;
and being as all men are,
he was humbler yet,
even to accepting death,
death on a cross.
But God raised him high
and gave him the name
which is above all other names
so that all beings
in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld,
should bend the knee at the name of Jesus
and that every tongue should acclaim
Jesus Christ as Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Gospel Acclamation |
Alleluia, alleluia!
We adore you, O Christ,
and we bless you;
because by your cross
you have redeemed the world.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 3:13-17 |
God sent his Son so that through him the world might be saved
Jesus said to Nicodemus:
‘No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who came down from heaven,
the Son of Man who is in heaven;
and the Son of Man must be lifted up
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.
Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost
but may have eternal life.
For God sent his Son into the world
not to condemn the world,
but so that through him the world might be saved.’
EMBRACING THE EXALTED CROSS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [NUMBERS 21:4-9; PHILIPPIANS 2:6-11; JOHN 3:13-17]
We do not like the cross in life. This is because we all fear suffering in every form, whether physical, emotional, psychological or even spiritual pain. It is therefore normal for each of us to desire freedom from every pain in life. Indeed, it is our hope that one day, “He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” (Rev 21:3f) Unfortunately, pain is one of the preternatural gifts we have lost because of our fallen nature through the sin of Adam.
So we can appreciate the grumbling of the sons of Israel when they were in the desert, where life was anything but comfortable. Sometimes, when we look at the state of Gaza today, we see a ruined city, with nothing but rubble, where even plants can hardly grow. We can imagine how much the people of Israel had to suffer in the desert, where there were no crops like the ones they had when living in the fertile plains of Egypt. There was no water, nor bread. In their frustration and impatience, “they spoke against God and against Moses, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in this wilderness? For there is neither bread nor water here: we are sick of this unsatisfying food.'” We are no better than them, especially when we suffer from an illness–or worse still, a terminal illness–the loss of a job, a bereavement, or a failed relationship. We take out our anger on God, refuse to pray, and even stop coming to the Sunday Eucharist.
But the truth is that whilst we grumble and get angry with God, making our leaders scapegoats for our misery, we ultimately hurt ourselves. When we take our sufferings negatively or with resentment, we allow our difficulties to inflict on us more pain than they should. By not accepting our illness or bereavement, and by going into denial, we only prolong the pain and sink deeper into depression. This also makes us view life negatively, allowing resentment to eat away at us, making us miserable, angry, and spiteful. We drive away friends who seek to reach out to us. This is why we are told that “God sent fiery serpents among the people; their bite brought death to many in Israel.” I would see these fiery serpents as symbolic of the effects of their grumbling, dissatisfaction with life, and blame. Only by reflecting on their mistakes and ingratitude could they be healed. Accordingly, “Moses interceded for the people, and the Lord answered him, ‘Make a fiery serpent and put it on a standard. If anyone is bitten and looks at it, he shall live.’ So Moses fashioned a bronze serpent which he put on a standard, and if anyone was bitten by a serpent, he looked at the bronze serpent and lived.” We are punished by our sins!
The serpent on the pole reminds us that we should embrace the cross in our life, because the cross is the way to victory. Christians are called to honour the cross of our Lord because He shows us the way to conquer ourselves, overcome our sins and triumph over the world. In the second reading, St Paul urges us, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 2:5) What is the mind of Christ? “The state of Jesus Christ was divine, yet he did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave, and became as men are; and being as all men are, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross.” Christ, who was God from all eternity, emptied Himself of His divinity to share our human condition and suffering. He was like us in all things but sin. In order that Jesus might truly suffer with us in every way, St Paul wrote, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor 5:21) So no one can say that God in Christ Jesus did not know the suffering and trials of being human. St Peter wrote, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Pt 2:24) Christ’s suffering on the cross, therefore, is our healing antidote for sin.
How can His suffering on the cross heal us of our brokenness? Firstly, it tells us of the unconditional love of God. When God sent His Son to assume our humanity and suffer unto death, God demonstrated His love for us. It is not simply a love in words, but in action. God wants us to know that we do not suffer alone – He suffers with us. He knows our struggles and our anxiety. And He still suffers with us today, because He feels our pain. In sacrificing His Son on the cross, the Father also emptied Himself in the same Spirit of His Son, becoming one with our suffering and pain. This explains why St Paul would say, “He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?” (Rom 8:32) St John in today’s Gospel puts it this way, “Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life. For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved.”
Secondly, it shows us the victory of the cross over sin and hatred. The cross is for us is a demonstration of love. Jesus carried the cross not for His sins, but for ours. He carried the cross for our sake. He came to reveal to us the love of His Father and to show us how to live so that we can share in His life and love. He is the love of the Father in person, because to see Him is to see the Father. He performed the works of His Father–the works of healing, liberation, and forgiveness. Just like the Father, He came to give life to us all. As He said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (Jn 10:10) He is the Good Shepherd of God’s sheep: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (Jn 10:11) On the cross, He prayed for and forgave all His enemies, saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Lk 23:34) So the cross reveals to us the love of God–a love stronger than hatred and revenge. St Paul remarked, “Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person–though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:7f)
Thirdly, this love would have no power unless it triumphed over death. Indeed, if Christ only died for love of us, we would be even more disillusioned. We would be scandalized that even good man died in vain. Suffering can only make sense if it brings about a greater good.Otherwise, we would be as disheartened as the disciples at Emmaus, who were downcast because their Master had been put to death and their hopes dashed. They said, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.” (Lk 24:19-21) And the Lord’s response was one of victory in God’s plan: “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” (Lk 24:25f)
The power of love, therefore, is proven not through Christ’s death but through His resurrection. For this reason, we do not simply embrace the Cross but we worship the Exalted Cross of our Lord. This fulfils what St Paul wrote: “But God raised him high and gave him the name which is above all other names so that all beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld should bend the knee at the name of Jesus and that every tongue should acclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Our faith, therefore, is based on the resurrection of Christ, but the resurrection without the cross would be without love. For this reason, we need the cross to complement the resurrection, because it shows that this love has power. Indeed, only when we realize that our suffering is not in vain but for our own good and the conversion of others, will we carry our cross joyfully. We know that through sacrificial love, discipline, generosity, and forgiveness of our enemies and sinners, we will win them over, and they will come to know God’s mercy and love just as we did. So, let us carry the cross with courage, hope, faith, and charity in this Jubilee Year of Hope.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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