Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Lectionary: 638
Lectionary: 638
With their patience
worn out by the journey,
the people complained against God and Moses,
“Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert,
where there is no food or water?
We are disgusted with this wretched food!”
In punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents,
which bit the people so that many of them died.
Then the people came to Moses and said,
“We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you.
Pray the LORD to take the serpents from us.”
So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses,
“Make a saraph and mount it on a pole,
and if any who have been bitten look at it, they will live.”
Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole,
and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent
looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
the people complained against God and Moses,
“Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert,
where there is no food or water?
We are disgusted with this wretched food!”
In punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents,
which bit the people so that many of them died.
Then the people came to Moses and said,
“We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you.
Pray the LORD to take the serpents from us.”
So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses,
“Make a saraph and mount it on a pole,
and if any who have been bitten look at it, they will live.”
Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole,
and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent
looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
Responsorial Psalm PS 78:1BC-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38
R. (see 7b) Do not forget the works of the Lord!
Hearken, my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable,
I will utter mysteries from of old.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
While he slew them they sought him
and inquired after God again,
Remembering that God was their rock
and the Most High God, their redeemer.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
But they flattered him with their mouths
and lied to him with their tongues,
Though their hearts were not steadfast toward him,
nor were they faithful to his covenant.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
But he, being merciful, forgave their sin
and destroyed them not;
Often he turned back his anger
and let none of his wrath be roused.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
Hearken, my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable,
I will utter mysteries from of old.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
While he slew them they sought him
and inquired after God again,
Remembering that God was their rock
and the Most High God, their redeemer.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
But they flattered him with their mouths
and lied to him with their tongues,
Though their hearts were not steadfast toward him,
nor were they faithful to his covenant.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
But he, being merciful, forgave their sin
and destroyed them not;
Often he turned back his anger
and let none of his wrath be roused.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
Reading 2PHIL 2:6-11
Brothers and
sisters:
Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Gospel JN 3:13-17
Jesus said to
Nicodemus:
“No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.
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.”
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
“No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.
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.”
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Scripture Study
September 14, 2014 Exaltation of the Holy Cross
This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy
Cross. This feast day which is always celebrated on September 14th displaces
the normal Sunday of Ordinary Time (24th) which would otherwise have taken
place this Sunday. In the Exaltation of the Holy Cross we honor the cross of
Jesus Christ as the sign of salvation and victory over evil. It was on the
cross that Jesus defeated evil and sin and won for us redemption and salvation.
We recognize that the cross is “foolishness to those who are perishing, but to
us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Cor 1:18) I, like many
Christian, frequently wear a cross on a chain. As long as that cross around my
neck represents a commitment to the cross of Christ and a commitment to pick up
my cross daily to follow the Lord, it serves a laudable purpose. When it fails
to represent that commitment or when the commitment it should represent
disolves in selfishness and the silver or gold cross becomes just another piece
of jewelry, I am guilty of empting the cross of Christ of its meaning.
First Reading:
Numbers 21:4b-9
4 From Mount
Hor they set out on the Red Sea road, to by-pass the land of Edom. But with
their patience worn out by the journey, 5 the people
complained against God and Moses, “Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die
in this desert, where there is no food or water? We are disgusted with this
wretched food!”
6 In
punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents, which bit the people
so that many of them died. 7 Then the people came to Moses and
said, “We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you. Pray the LORD to
take the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people, 8 and
the LORD said to Moses, “Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and if anyone
who has been bitten looks at it, he will recover.” 9 Moses
accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone
who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he recovered.
NOTES on First Reading:
*21:4 Mt. Hor is the mountain on which Aaron is said to have
died. It is located on the eastern side of the valley of Arabah, and is the
highest of the whole range of sandstone mountains in Edom. This mountain is
also named as one of the marks of the northern boundary of the land which the
children of Israel were to conquer and is located in Lebanon.
* 21:5 The people are apparently speaking against the manna. The
offense is more serious than it at first appears to be because in rejecting the
manna they are rejecting God’s grace and therefore they are rejecting God
Himself.
* 21:6 The serpents are refered to as Saraph serpents in the
Greek text which means fiery or fiery one.
* 21:8 This is directly referred to in John 3:14.
* 21:9 This serpent was placed with the ark and kept in the
temple later. Eventually during his religious reform King Hezekiah smashed it
because it had become an object of idolatry. See 2 Kings 18:4.
Second Reading:
Philippians 2:6-11
6 (Christ
Jesus)[Who, ] though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with
God something to be grasped. 7 Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in
appearance, 8 he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death,
even death on a cross. 9 Because of this, God greatly exalted
him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10that
at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth
and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
NOTES on Second Reading:
* 2:6 Verses 6-11 are thought by most scholars to be a Christian
hymn that Paul quotes at length with some of his own modifications to the
lyrics. In verses 6-8 the subject of the short rhythmic lines is Christ while
in verses 9-11 the subject is God. It follows the pattern of humiliation and
then exaltation. The hymn can be divided into six three-line stanzas or into
three stanzas. Additions like “even death on a cross” (8c) are thought by many
to be Paul’s additions (10c & 11c). Here in verse 6 there is an allusion to
Adam’s desire to be like God (Gen 3:5-6) in contrast to Jesus’ self emptying.
The language in the original probably owes something to proverbial sayings of
the day: “exploit something for one’s own (selfish) advantage”. That would
explain some of the difficulties such as grasping at something he already had
and the use of a word elsewhere only attested in the active sense of robbery.
* 2:7 vv 6 & 7 are commonly taken to refer to the
pre-existence of the Son and v 8 to the incarnate life making lines 7b and c
parallel. It is not absolutely necessary to do so. Vv 6-8 can be taken as two
parrallel stanzas dealing with Christ’s earthly life. See John 17:5; Matt
20:28.
* 2:8 This verse may reflect the language of Isaiah concerning
the suffering servant. Isa 52:13-53:12 especially Isa 53:12.
* The name refered to is “Lord” which as the common word for God
revealed the true identity and nature of the one named.
* 2-10 The three levels of the universe as recognized by the
ancient world are all depicted as under the dominion of the one “Lord” using
the language of Isa 45:23.
* 2:11 “Jesus Christ is Lord” is a common early Christian
acclamation 1Cor 12:3, Rom 10:9 The hymn ends with a doxology to the Father in
v. 11c.
Gospel Reading: John
3:13-17
13 No one
has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of
Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who
believes in him may have eternal life.”
16 For God
so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in
him might not perish but might have eternal life. 17 For God
did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world
might be saved through him.
NOTES on Gospel Reading:
* 3:13 John here negates the claim of any other visionary to
have knowledge of heaven and reserves it to Jesus alone. John’s Gospel holds
very forcefully to the idea that Jesus is the only source of knowledge about
what is in heaven. Jesus seems to have prefered the title, “Son of Man,” for
himself and used it to refer to himself more than any other. It comes from the
description of the last of the beings that Daniel sees come before God in his
night visions. See Daniel 7:13.
* 3:14 Moses just placed a snake on a pole and raised it up so
it could be seen and those who looked upon it with trust in God would be healed
( Numbers 21:9-11). This is the first of the three Son-of-Man sayings to refer
to Jesus’ exaltation. The allusion to Num 21:9-11 may be a typology created in
the Johannine church. The evangelist has used a Greek verb that implies
glorification in order to invite comparison with Jesus on the cross and portray
the snake in Numbers 21 as a type of Jesus. Wisdom 16:6-7 speaks of the
incident as turning Israel toward the Torah and toward God as Savior.
* 3:15 The Johannine connection between believing and having
eternal life is applied to the story from Numbers.
* 3:15 Eternal life, used here for the first time in john’s
Gospel, refers to the quality of life in fellowship with God not its duration.
* 3:16 The evangelist breaks into the story with a discourse
about the sending of the son to bring life to the world. It expresses the
realized eschatology of John’s theology. This is the only place outside the
Prologue where Christ is called only son typed after Isaac. This verse is
somewhat unusual in that John’s gospel does not focus on Jesus’ death as a
sacrifice like some other New Testament books.
* 3:17-19 The Greek root for the word translated as condemn
means both judgment and condemnation. Jesus’ purpose is to save, but his coming
provokes judgment. Some condemn themselves by turning from the ligh
Meditation: "So must the Son of Man be lifted up"
Do you know the healing transforming power of the cross of Jesus
Christ? The Lord Jesus came to unite earth with heaven and to raise those on
earth to the glory of heaven. Jesus explains to Nicodemus, one of the
chief leaders of the Jewish nation, that he is the "Son of Man" sent
by the Father in heaven to restore our fallen and broken relationship with God.
The "Son of Man" is a key Old Testament title for the Messiah who
comes from heaven to establish God's kingdom on the earth (see the prophecy of
Daniel 7:13-14).
Moses delivers his people from death in the wilderness
What does Jesus mean when he says the "Son of Man must be lifted up?" Jesus links this expression with Moses who "lifted up" the bronze serpent in the wilderness in order to bring about healing and restoration of life to those who were bitten by deadly serpents. This plague of death was the result of the peoples' stubborn refusal to follow God's counsel and direction for their own welfare. God in his mercy heard the prayer of Moses to free his people from this curse. God instructed Moses to "make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live" (Numbers 21:8). Moses lifted high for all the people to see the image of a bronze serpent fixed to the wood of the pole which resembled a cross. Those who put their faith in God by repenting of their disobedience were healed and restored to wholeness of life.
What does Jesus mean when he says the "Son of Man must be lifted up?" Jesus links this expression with Moses who "lifted up" the bronze serpent in the wilderness in order to bring about healing and restoration of life to those who were bitten by deadly serpents. This plague of death was the result of the peoples' stubborn refusal to follow God's counsel and direction for their own welfare. God in his mercy heard the prayer of Moses to free his people from this curse. God instructed Moses to "make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live" (Numbers 21:8). Moses lifted high for all the people to see the image of a bronze serpent fixed to the wood of the pole which resembled a cross. Those who put their faith in God by repenting of their disobedience were healed and restored to wholeness of life.
Jesus links his victory on the cross with Moses act of
deliverance
Jesus clearly links Moses' act of deliverance in the wilderness with his impending sacrificial death when he is "lifted up" on the wood of the cross at Calvary. Unlike Moses' deliverance in the wilderness which only resulted in temporary relief for the people, Jesus' atoning death on the cross brought decisive victory over sin, Satan, and death. Jesus' victory on the cross cancels the debt of our sin, and releases us from guilt and condemnation. His death and victory brings us new life - the new abundant life in his Holy Spirit which lasts forever.
Jesus clearly links Moses' act of deliverance in the wilderness with his impending sacrificial death when he is "lifted up" on the wood of the cross at Calvary. Unlike Moses' deliverance in the wilderness which only resulted in temporary relief for the people, Jesus' atoning death on the cross brought decisive victory over sin, Satan, and death. Jesus' victory on the cross cancels the debt of our sin, and releases us from guilt and condemnation. His death and victory brings us new life - the new abundant life in his Holy Spirit which lasts forever.
Jesus' victory on the cross also brought about his glorious
bodily resurrection to new unending life and to his ascension to the right hand
of the Father in heaven where he now rules and intercedes for us. The result of
Jesus "being lifted up on the cross," and his rising and exaltation
to the Father's right hand in heaven, is our "new birth in the
Spirit" and adoption as sons and daughters of God. God not only has
redeemed us from sin in Christ, he also fills us with his own divine life
through the gift of his Spirit that we might share in his own glory.
The proof of God's love for us
There is no greater proof of God's love for us then the sending of his Son to become one with us in our humanity and to lay down his life for us. "To ransom a slave God gave his Son" (an ancient prayer from the Easter vigil liturgy). God sent his Son to free us from the worst of tyrannies - slavery to sin and the curse of death. Jesus' sacrificial death was an act of total love in self-giving. Jesus gave himself completely out of love for his Father. And he willing laid down his life out of selfless love for our sake and for our salvation. His death on the cross was both a total offering to God and the perfect sacrifice of atonement for our sin and the sin of the world.
There is no greater proof of God's love for us then the sending of his Son to become one with us in our humanity and to lay down his life for us. "To ransom a slave God gave his Son" (an ancient prayer from the Easter vigil liturgy). God sent his Son to free us from the worst of tyrannies - slavery to sin and the curse of death. Jesus' sacrificial death was an act of total love in self-giving. Jesus gave himself completely out of love for his Father. And he willing laid down his life out of selfless love for our sake and for our salvation. His death on the cross was both a total offering to God and the perfect sacrifice of atonement for our sin and the sin of the world.
John tells us that God's love cannot be limited because it is
boundless and encompasses all of creation (John 3:16). His love is not limited
to a single nation or a few chosen friends. His love is limitless because it
embraces the whole world and every individual created in "his image and likeness".
God is a persistent loving Father who cannot rest until all of his wandering
children have returned home to him. Saint Augustine says, God loves
each one of us as if there were only one of us to love.
The love of God is rooted in truth, goodness, and mercy
God gives us the freedom to choose whom and what we will love and not love. Jesus shows us the paradox of love and forgiveness and judgment and condemnation. We can love the darkness of sin and unbelief or we can love the light of God's truth, goodness, and mercy. If our love is guided by truth, goodness, and that which is truly beautiful, then we will choose for God and love him above all else. What we love shows what we prefer. Do you love God who is the supreme good above all else? And do you seek to put him first in all your thoughts, cares, choices, and actions?
God gives us the freedom to choose whom and what we will love and not love. Jesus shows us the paradox of love and forgiveness and judgment and condemnation. We can love the darkness of sin and unbelief or we can love the light of God's truth, goodness, and mercy. If our love is guided by truth, goodness, and that which is truly beautiful, then we will choose for God and love him above all else. What we love shows what we prefer. Do you love God who is the supreme good above all else? And do you seek to put him first in all your thoughts, cares, choices, and actions?
God's love sets us free to love and serve others
God's love has been poured into our hearts through the gift of the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Do you allow God's love to purify your heart and the way your treat others? Do you allow God's love to transform your mind and the way you think of others? Do you allow God's love to conquer every unruly passion and addiction that would enslave you to sin and harmful behavior? The Holy Spirit gives us his seven-fold gifts of wisdom and understanding, right judgment and courage, knowledge and reverence for God and his ways, and a holy fear in God's presence (see Isaiah 11) that we may live God's way of life and serve in the power and strength of his enduring love and mercy. Do you thirst for new life in the Spirit?
God's love has been poured into our hearts through the gift of the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Do you allow God's love to purify your heart and the way your treat others? Do you allow God's love to transform your mind and the way you think of others? Do you allow God's love to conquer every unruly passion and addiction that would enslave you to sin and harmful behavior? The Holy Spirit gives us his seven-fold gifts of wisdom and understanding, right judgment and courage, knowledge and reverence for God and his ways, and a holy fear in God's presence (see Isaiah 11) that we may live God's way of life and serve in the power and strength of his enduring love and mercy. Do you thirst for new life in the Spirit?
"Lord Jesus Christ, your death brought life for us. Fill me
with your Holy Spirit that I may walk in freedom and joy as a child of God and
as an heir with Christ of an eternal inheritance."
God So Loves Me
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September 14, 2014. Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
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John 3: 13-17
Jesus said to Nicodemus: "No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. 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." For God
so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes
in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his
Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved
through him.
Introductory Prayer: Your word in the Gospel reveals to me the beauty of the
mystery of the Cross. I open myself now to you with a believing heart. Your
love for humanity is so present in what you say. You give me hope that the
world can be changed by your message of love. I want to be more like you, a
lover of the Father, a lover of my brothers and sisters to the point of
giving my life for them.
Petition: Lord, exalt the cross in my mind and my heart, that I
might see it as an instrument of love.
1. Jesus’ Identity: Nicodemus comes to Jesus to find out
who this miracle worker is. Jesus tells him that he is the Son of Man and
God’s Son. He has come down from heaven and will return there. Now that he
has identified himself, he has gotten Nicodemus’ attention and mine. His
answer to the first question does not satisfy us because it has brought up
several other questions. How can he claim to be the Son of God when there is
but one God? If he is truly God’s Son, why has he come down to earth? What
does he want or expect from me?
2. A Savior Greater Than Moses: Moses had, at God’s
command, led Israel out of slavery in Egypt. When the people rebelled in the
desert, they were punished by fiery serpents that bit them with poisonous
venom. Moses intervened on their behalf, making a bronze image of a serpent,
placed on a post; those who looked at it were saved. Jesus saves humanity
from its rebellion, not by a symbol raised on a stick, but by sacrificing
himself as he was raised on a cross. He saves me not from temporal death, but
from eternal death. He is indeed a Savior greater than Moses.
3. The Degree of God’s Love: How much does the Father
love me? If we could measure love on a thermometer, God’s infinite love would
send the mercury out the end. His love is boundless. What would he withhold
from me if he has already given his son to save me? My sentiments upon
contemplating the immensity of God’s love for me should be gratitude, praise
and a reciprocating love towards him.
Conversation with Christ: Lord, I am moved when I discover how
much you love me. You came down from heaven, becoming the Son of Man so that
I could know, love and imitate you. You loved me to the extreme of offering
yourself up on the cross to save me from sin and death. I want to love you in
return to the point of giving my life for you.
Resolution: I will contemplate the cross as a symbol of love, making
it a symbol that says something to me whenever I see it. I will try to bear
my cross today with love.
By Father Patrick Butler, LC
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FEAST OF THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, JOHN 3:13-17
(Numbers 21:4b-9; Psalm 78; Philippians 2:6-11)
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, JOHN 3:13-17
(Numbers 21:4b-9; Psalm 78; Philippians 2:6-11)
KEY VERSE: "Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up" (v 14).
READING: On the Israelite's trek to the Promised Land, they ran out of food and water and were worn out from their long journey. The people complained against God and Moses that they had been brought out to the desert to die. They forgot the works of the Lord and did not hear God’s words of mercy. As punishment for their lack of trust in God’s providence, some of them were bitten by snakes and died. When Moses interceded on behalf of the people, God commanded him to make an image of a serpent (the ancient symbol of evil) and mount it on a pole. All who looked upon it were healed. How could healing be found in gazing on such a mysterious sign? Jesus made an analogy of the bronze serpent to the saving power of the cross, a sign of both sin and redemption. When God lifted Jesus up, "exalted" him, in the resurrection, the cross was no longer a sign of shame and defeat, but a sign of victory and salvation. Jesus came into the world to bring healing not judgment, salvation not condemnation, life not death. Those things in our lives that cause pain and suffering in our lives can be an instrument for our deliverance.
REFLECTING: Do I adorn my home and person with the cross, the symbol of God's saving love?
PRAYING: When you hear abuse of Jesus' sacred name, bow your head and say, "Jesus Christ is Lord!"
NOTE: During the fourth century, the Church was relatively free from persecution because the Emperor Constantine's Edict of Milan (313 AD) declared Christianity a tolerated religion. Yet most Christians were uncomfortable displaying the cross as it depicted a painful and gruesome method of public execution. This didn't mean that early Christians neglected the cross. Apparently the custom of making the sign of the cross on one's forehead was widespread fairly early. Tertullian wrote about 204 AD: "At every forward step and movement, at every going in and out, when we put on our clothes and shoes, when we bathe, when we sit at table, when we light the lamps, in all the ordinary actions of daily life, we trace upon the forehead the sign." St. Helena, mother of Constantine, was a Christian. She was obsessed with a desire to find the cross on which Christ had been crucified. In this quest, she allegedly identified and excavated almost every significant site pertaining to the Gospel stories. According to legend, Helena discovered the True Cross while on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 326.
Do not forget the works of the Lord!
Give glory to the risen Christ and to his cross give praise.Jesus, you came into the world, not to condemn it but to save it. You have redeemed us. Help us to know that deep down in our heart as we struggle to resist the pervasive influences of evil, which often seems to be the name of the game in today’s world. Lord, keep our eyes turned on you as we see the triumph of the human spirit in stories of courage and hope in the face of adversity. Your Spirit lives in us; your cross triumphs in us when we believe in your love at work in our hearts. Love is the lesson you have taught. You are the hope of all our days.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
Perfect Obedience
Just as sin came into the world through Eve’s no to God, salvation
came into the world through Mary’s yes. She is “blessed” not just among women
but among all of humanity. We see in Mary the perfect disciple, the perfect
humility, the perfect obedience.
September
14
Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Early in the fourth century St. Helena, mother of the Roman
Emperor Constantine, went to Jerusalem in search of the holy places of Christ's
life. She razed the second-century Temple of Aphrodite, which tradition held
was built over the Savior's tomb, and her son built the Basilica of the Holy
Sepulcher over the tomb. During the excavation, workers found three crosses.
Legend has it that the one on which Jesus died was identified when its touch
healed a dying woman.
The cross
immediately became an object of veneration. At a Good Friday celebration in
Jerusalem toward the end of the fourth century, according to an eyewitness, the
wood was taken out of its silver container and placed on a table together with
the inscription Pilate ordered placed above Jesus' head: Then "all the
people pass through one by one; all of them bow down, touching the cross and
the inscription, first with their foreheads, then with their eyes; and, after
kissing the cross, they move on."
To this
day the Eastern Churches, Catholic and Orthodox alike, celebrate the Exaltation
of the Holy Cross on the September anniversary of the basilica's dedication.
The feast entered the Western calendar in the seventh century after Emperor
Heraclius recovered the cross from the Persians, who had carried it off in 614,
15 years earlier. According to the story, the emperor intended to carry the
cross back into Jerusalem himself, but was unable to move forward until he took
off his imperial garb and became a barefoot pilgrim.
Comment:
The cross is today the universal image of Christian belief. Countless generations of artists have turned it into a thing of beauty to be carried in procession or worn as jewelry. To the eyes of the first Christians, it had no beauty. It stood outside too many city walls, decorated only with decaying corpses, as a threat to anyone who defied Rome's authority—including Christians who refused sacrifice to Roman gods. Although believers spoke of the cross as the instrument of salvation, it seldom appeared in Christian art unless disguised as an anchor or the Chi-Rho until after Constantine's edict of toleration.
The cross is today the universal image of Christian belief. Countless generations of artists have turned it into a thing of beauty to be carried in procession or worn as jewelry. To the eyes of the first Christians, it had no beauty. It stood outside too many city walls, decorated only with decaying corpses, as a threat to anyone who defied Rome's authority—including Christians who refused sacrifice to Roman gods. Although believers spoke of the cross as the instrument of salvation, it seldom appeared in Christian art unless disguised as an anchor or the Chi-Rho until after Constantine's edict of toleration.
Quote:
"How splendid the cross of Christ! It brings life, not death; light, not darkness; Paradise, not its loss. It is the wood on which the Lord, like a great warrior, was wounded in hands and feet and side, but healed thereby our wounds. A tree has destroyed us, a tree now brought us life" (Theodore of Studios).
"How splendid the cross of Christ! It brings life, not death; light, not darkness; Paradise, not its loss. It is the wood on which the Lord, like a great warrior, was wounded in hands and feet and side, but healed thereby our wounds. A tree has destroyed us, a tree now brought us life" (Theodore of Studios).
DIVINA LECTIO:
THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS - JN. 3,13-17
Lectio:
Sunday, September 14, 2014 (All day)
Anyone who believes in Jesus has eternal life.
Opening prayer
Oh Father who wanted to save man
by the Cross of Christ, your Son,
grant to us who have known on earth
his mystery of love,
to enjoy in Heaven the fruits of his redemption.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
1. LECTIO
Reading:
Jesus said to Nicodemus: 'No one has gone up to heaven except
the one who came down from heaven, the Son of man; as Moses lifted up the snake
in the desert, so must the Son of man be lifted up so that everyone who
believes may have eternal life in him.
For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. For God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but so that through him the world might be saved.
For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. For God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but so that through him the world might be saved.
2. MEDITATIO
a) Key for the reading:
The text proposed to us by the Liturgy has been taken from the
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. It should not surprise us that the
passage chosen for this celebration forms part of the fourth Gospel, because,
it is precisely this Gospel which presents the mystery of the cross of the
Lord, as the exaltation. This is clear from the beginning of the Gospel: “as
Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so must the Son of man be lifted up”
(Jn 3, 14; Dn 7, 13). John explains the mystery of the Incarnate Word in the
paradoxical movement of the descent-ascent (Jn 1, 14.18; 3, 13). In fact, it is
this mystery which offers the key for the reading in order to understand the
evolution of the identity and of the mission of the passus et gloriosus of
Jesus Christ, and that we may well say that this is not only valid for the text
of John. The Letter to the Ephesians, for example, uses this paradoxical
movement to explain the mystery of Christ: “Now, when it says, ‘he went up’, it
must mean that he had gone down to the deepest levels of the earth” (Ef 4, 9).
Jesus is the Son of God who becoming Son of man (Jn 3,13) makes
known to us the mysteries of God (Jn 1, 18). He alone can do this, in so far as
he alone has seen the Father (Jn 6, 46). We can say that the mystery of the
Word who descends from Heaven responds to the yearning of the prophets: who
will go up to heaven to reveal this mystery to us? (cf. Dt 30, 12; Pr 30, 4).
The fourth Gospel is over fool of references to the mystery of he who “is from
Heaven” (1 Co 15, 47). The following are some quotations or references: Jn 6,
33. 38.51. 62; 8, 42; 16, 28-30; 17, 5.
The exaltation of Jesus is precisely in his descent to come to
us, up to death, and the death on the Cross, on which he was lifted up like the
serpent in the desert, which, “anybody… who looked at it would survive” (Nm
21,7-9; Zc 12,10). John reminds us in the scene of the death of Jesus of Christ
being lifted up: “They will look to the one whom they have pierced” (Jn 19,
37). In the context of the fourth Gospel, to turn and look means, “to know”,
“to understand”, “to see”.
Frequently, in John’s Gospel, Jesus speaks about his being
lifted up: “When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I
am He” (Jn 8,28); “when I am lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all peoples
to myself. By these words he indicated the kind of death he would die” (Jn 12,
32-33). In the Synoptics also Jesus announces to his disciples the mystery of
his condemnation to death on the cross (see Mt 20, 27-29; Mk 10, 32-34; Lk 18,
31-33). In fact, Christ had “to suffer all that to enter into his glory” (Lk
24, 26).
This mystery reveals the great love which God has for us. He is
the Son given to us, “so that anyone who believes in him will not be lost, but
will have eternal life”, this Son whom we have rejected and crucified. But
precisely in this rejection on our part, God has manifested himself to us his
fidelity and his love which does not stop before the hardness of our heart. And
even in spite of our rejection and our contempt he gives us salvation (cf. Acts
4, 27-28), remaining firm in fulfilling his plan of mercy: God, in fact, has
not sent his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the
world may be saved through him”.
b) A few questions:
i) What struck you in the Gospel?
ii) What does the exaltation of Christ and of his cross mean for you?
iii) What consequences does this paradoxical movement of descent-ascent imply in the living out of faith?
ii) What does the exaltation of Christ and of his cross mean for you?
iii) What consequences does this paradoxical movement of descent-ascent imply in the living out of faith?
3. ORATIO
Psalm 77 (1-2, 34-38)
My people, listen to my teaching,
pay attention to what I say.
I will speak to you in poetry,
unfold the mysteries of the past.
pay attention to what I say.
I will speak to you in poetry,
unfold the mysteries of the past.
Whenever he slaughtered them,
they began to seek him,
they turned back and looked eagerly for him,
recalling that God was their rock,
God the Most High, their redeemer.
they began to seek him,
they turned back and looked eagerly for him,
recalling that God was their rock,
God the Most High, their redeemer.
They tried to hoodwink him with their mouths,
their tongues were deceitful towards him;
their hearts were not loyal to him,
they were not faithful to his covenant.
their tongues were deceitful towards him;
their hearts were not loyal to him,
they were not faithful to his covenant.
But in his compassion he forgave their guilt
instead of killing them,
time and again repressing his anger
instead of rousing his full wrath.
instead of killing them,
time and again repressing his anger
instead of rousing his full wrath.
4. CONTEMPLATIO
"Jesus Christ as Lord,
to the glory of God the Father." (Phil 2,11)
to the glory of God the Father." (Phil 2,11)
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