Exaltation of the Cross

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Some years ago, I was on retreat in a Benedictine monastery out in rural France, and on the side of the hill there was this small ancient chapel just tucked away on the side among all the trees. At its centre was a simple wooden cross. No gold, no jewels, no grandeur. Just two beams, weathered and worn.

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Yet people came from far and wide to pray before it. Why? Because that cross, that chapel had become a place of healing, of surrender, of transformation. It reminded me that the power of the cross is not in its appearance, but in what it reveals the depth of God’s love and the mystery of redemption. Today, on this feast of the exaltation of the Holy Cross, we are invited to gaze upon the cross not with sorrow, but with or not as a symbol of shame, but as the throne of grace.

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The first reading takes us into the wilderness to be with the Israelites. They are tired, frustrated, and rebellious. Their complaints echo the human condition. Why did you bring us here? There’s no food, no water. We’re sick of this journey. And in their bitterness, they turned away from God. But then come the serpent’s symbols of the consequences of their sin. The people cry out, and God responds not by removing the serpents, but by instructing Moses to lift up a bronze serpent on a pole.

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Those who look upon it are healed. It’s a strange image, but deeply symbolic. Healing comes not by avoiding suffering, but by facing it. The serpent, a sign of death, becomes the means of life. This is a foreshadowing of the cross, where the instrument of execution becomes the source of salvation. In the second reading, we hear one of the earliest hymns of the church.

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It speaks of Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not cling to that status. Instead he emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, becoming human and accepting death on a cross. This is the heart of the Christian mystery that God’s glory is revealed not in power, but in humility. The cross is not a detour in the story. It is a center. It is where love is poured out, where obedience meets suffering, and where death is transformed into life.

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And because of this, God exalts Jesus not just above all names, but into the hearts of all who believe. The cross becomes the doorway to resurrection. The path to glory. In the gospel, Jesus speaks to Nicodemus, a man searching for truth. He recalls the story of Moses and the serpent, and then he makes his bold claim. So must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. Here, lifted up has a double meaning.

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It refers to the physical lifting of Jesus on the cross, but also to his exaltation, his being raised in glory. The cross is not the end, it is the beginning of something new. And then comes one of the most beloved verses of Scripture. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son. This is the reason for the cross. Not punishment, not wrath, but love. A love that does not condemn. A love that saves. A love that enters into suffering.

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To bring healing. A love that stretches out its arms. To embrace the whole world. So what does that mean for us today? We live in a world that often avoids suffering, that seeks comfort and control. But the cross invites us to a different path. It calls us to face our wounds, to acknowledge our brokenness and to trust. Healing comes not by escaping pain, but by allowing God to meet us in it. The cross also challenges our understanding of power in a culture that celebrates success and status.

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The cross reminds us that true greatness is found in humility, in service, in self-giving love. And finally, the cross is a call to action. It is not just something to admire, it is something to carry. Jesus said, take up your cross and follow me. That means living with courage, forgiving when it’s hard, loving when it costs, and standing with those who suffer. So today, as we gaze upon the cross. Let us not turn away.

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Let us see. And at the face of Jesus. The depth of love and the promise of life. This asks where am I being invited to embrace the cross in my own life today? Who needs to see the love of Christ through me today? And how can I live with greater humility, compassion and courage? The cross is not the end. It is the beginning. Let us walk its path. Trusting that love will lead us through.