20180914
THE EXALTED CROSS
14 SEPTEMBER,
2018, Friday, The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Red.
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First reading
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Numbers 21:4-9 ©
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If anyone was bitten by a serpent, he looked up at
the bronze serpent and lived
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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.
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Second reading
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Philippians 2:6-11 ©
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Christ humbled himself but God raised him high
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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.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 77(78):1-2,34-38 ©
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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.
When a Feast of the
Lord falls on a weekday, there is no reading after the Psalm and before the
Gospel.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Alleluia, alleluia!
We adore you, O Christ,
and we bless you;
because by your cross
you have redeemed the world.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 3:13-17 ©
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God sent his Son so that through him the
world might be saved
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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.’
THE EXALTED CROSS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ NUMBERS 21:4-9; PHILIPPIANS 2:6-11; JOHN 3:13-17 ]
Christianity is a
strange religion.
Whilst most religions and philosophies of life seek to help us to avoid the
crosses of life, Christianity speaks highly of the cross. We speak
of the cross in exalted terms. Indeed, the symbol of Christianity is the
cross! Christians extol the cross of Christ. For Christians, the
cross is an instrument of our salvation. It is the cure to all sufferings
and the hope to triumph over the greatest of all enemies, namely, death. As St
Paul says, “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” (1 Cor 15:26) Therefore, Christians are
not ashamed of the cross. They proclaim proudly that their master and
Lord died on the cross. (cf 1 Cor 1:22-24)
The cross is in
contradiction to the world where pain and suffering is to be avoided at all
costs. The world is
afraid of suffering. The world seeks to hide the reality of pain and
sorrow. The world fears death. They seek to postpone
death. They give us a makeover to make us look as if we have many years
to live. In addition, if suffering is imminent or unbearable, they
advocate taking lives, whether of unborn babies or the elderly.
When death can no longer be masked, then even at funeral service, one is no
longer encouraged to grieve and shed tears. We are urged to be stoic in
approaching death. To cry for our loved ones publicly is considered
undignified.
How is the cross an
instrument of our salvation? Firstly, the cross reveals to us the reality
of man and the world. The cross reveals to us the consequences of
sin. It is because of man’s greed and selfishness that we are always
discontented, like the Israelites in the desert. They were demanding for more and
more. They complained that they did not have bread and water and God
supplied them manna from heaven and water from the rock. Then they lamented
that they had no meat and God sent them meat. The truth is that nothing
on earth can satisfy the human person. His heart is always craving for
more and more. No matter what he has, he will be unfulfilled.
Ironically, the Israelites said the right thing, “we are sick of this
unsatisfying food” but they did not have the right answer. The things of this
earth alone cannot quench the thirst or satisfy the hunger of the human heart.
The cross reveals to us
the injustices and crimes committed by man against God and against his
fellowmen. Because of greed
for things and power, selfishness and lust, so many sins are committed.
The cross of Jesus reveals the immensity of what sin can do to man. Man
kills each other for more wealth, power and glory. Indeed, cheating,
killing, slander, manipulation and oppression are all because of the
selfishness of man. To protect ourselves, we destroy others because we
fear suffering and death. Jesus was nailed to the cross for His perceived
threat to Judaism and the Roman authorities.
The cross reveals to us
the shame of humanity. Jesus
was the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. In His ministry, Jesus
portrayed Himself to be a man so in control of Himself that He had no fear of
the authorities but spoke His mind clearly and courageously. However, on
the cross, Jesus was stripped totally of His dignity. He was naked upon
the cross for all to see and condemn. He was scourged, humiliated and
taunted by the soldiers. Because of our pride, we would do anything to
protect our reputation and our image before the world. Because of our
pride, we would do everything to win glory and honour from the world. But
often this is done at the expense of truth, love and justice. Our freedom
is the cause of our misery. Jesus on the cross emptied Himself of His
freedom for God and for us.
Conversely, if we see
the cross positively, the cross becomes the antidote to the sins and sufferings
of humanity. The cross is the symbol of God’s mercy. In the cross, we see the mercy
of God. St Paul says, “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.” Jesus became one with us
so that He could identify with us in our suffering. Having been tempted
in every way without sin, and having gone through the depths of suffering, “he
learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect,
he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.” (Heb 5:8f) Indeed, the author of Hebrews
says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our
weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we
are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with
boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of
need.” (Heb 4:15f) In our
sinfulness, we know that God is ever ready to forgive us our sins because on
the cross He not only made excuses for us that we were ignorant but He
interceded on our behalf to His Father to forgive us for our sins. In the
gospel, Jesus made it clear, “For God sent his Son into the world not to
condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved.”
Secondly, the cross is
the symbol of God’s self-emptying love. In the gospel, Jesus said, “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.” Such is the depth of God’s
love that He would empty Himself of His Son to save us from our folly and
suffering. In the letter to the Romans, St Paul wrote, “If God is for us,
who is against us? 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 8:31f) God did not keep His only Son
for Himself but gave Him up for us sinners. “God proves his love for us
in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” (cf Rom 5:6-8) This was the prayer of Jesus
before He left this world when He prayed, “I made your name known to them, and
I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in
them, and I in them.” (Jn 17:25f)
Thirdly, the cross is
the symbol of hope. Christ’s death on the cross did not end without the
resurrection. When
Christians glorify the cross, it is always in view of the resurrection.
The cross without the resurrection would be tragic; but the resurrection
without the cross would be powerless. It is the cross that shows us what
love entails but it is the resurrection that reveals the power and victory of
love over sin and death. Indeed, because Christ submitted so humbly, “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.” So the cross is not the end but a
prelude to eternal life because sin and death is conquered by love and life.
In the light of what the
cross has revealed to us about the reality of sin and at the same time the
symbol for our salvation, if we want to find strength, direction and healing
for our sins and sufferings, then we must look to the cross and contemplate on
the Crucified Christ.
This was what Moses said to the people. “Make a fiery serpent and put it
on a standard. If anyone is bitten and looks at it, he shall live.” This
fiery serpent is a foreshadowing of the cross when Jesus was lifted up as a
sign of God’s mercy and love for all. “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.” How can this contemplation heal us?
By contemplating on the
cross, we are reminded of our sins and the consequences of our sins. Most of the suffering in life is
caused by our selfishness, greed and pride. Only when we look deep into
ourselves, will we then not look for scapegoats as the Israelites did in their
suffering. Very often, it is not the external circumstances that make our
life miserable, but it is the wounded, greedy and selfish heart. When we
reflect on how our sins have hurt humanity and our fellowmen, then we can seek
repentance. So long as we exonerate ourselves and put the blame on
others, we will never grow or learn from our mistakes.
Secondly, by
contemplating on the cross, let us find strength and healing from our Lord’s
suffering, mercy and love.
Knowing how much He carried our sins and infirmities in His body, we too will
learn to carry our crosses humbly and selflessly after Him. But we do not
carry the cross like a stoic. We carry it with Jesus as an act of humble love
and service for humanity. All sufferings are healing and liberating when
we do not suffer for ourselves but for the love and good of others. With
St Paul we say, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the
sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I
may attain the resurrection from the dead.” (Phil 3:10f)
Let us take heed of the
warning of the psalmist. “Never forget the deeds of the Lord.” It is when we forget the sacrifice of
Christ on the cross for us that we become ungrateful. In our sufferings
we tend to think only of our present pain but we forget the blessings the Lord
has given to us, most of all in His passion, death and resurrection. So
the way to remember His love is precisely through the celebration of the
Eucharist where we are called to “Do this in memory of Him.” By
contemplating on His love in the Eucharist and imitating Him in His death, we
will share in the resurrection. Indeed, the cross is the means to triumph
over sin, suffering and death.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Right
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