Sunday Reflections

On four occasions I had the opportunity to be Spiritual Director of pilgrimages to Marian Shrines in Portugal and France, to Rome, and to Israel.  Although I was not the professional guide, often – especially during free times – I would lead members of our group on city streets, squares, and buildings.  For this I usually wore a distinctive hat, or held up an unopened umbrella.  As I tend to walk quite quickly, there was often quite a trail behind me,  with the pilgrims look up and following my hat or umbrella.

I thought of this when I read the readings of today, in particular the First Reading and gospel (John 3:13-17).  Both of them involve looking up and seeing something, or someone, to follow.

In the First Reading, from the Book of Numbers (21:4b-9), God reveals to the people that He will heal and save them.  The Chosen People began to doubt God, as they journeyed through the desert, on the way to the Promised Land.  As a punishment, people who were bitten by the serpents in the desert brought death.  God indicated to Moses that the source of their healing and salvation would be for the faithful to look at the serpent made of bronze put on a standard and held up high.  And indeed, those who “looked at the bronze serpent, and lived”.

In our Second Reading, from the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians (2:6-11) we recognize that God has “raised” Jesus “on high”.  By his death on the cross Jesus has “emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave”, giving His life for our sins.  St. Paul proclaims the glory and majesty of God, because of His humility, “accepting death, death on a cross”.

In the gospel Jesus prophecies His death, that He will be “lifted up as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him”.  We look up to our Lord Jesus on the cross, and we are healed and saved, just as the Chosen People of the old covenant were.    He has come, not to condemn us, but to save us.  Jesus speaks of “heavenly things”, even though the people do not understand.  His revelation does not make sense yet, until after His resurrection, when they can finally put together all the pieces of the puzzle and understand the mission of Jesus.  Our destiny, as followers of Jesus, is to follow Him into heaven.

This Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross calls us to embrace the cross of Jesus Christ.  It is not often that this Feast falls on a Sunday, so we take advantage of this opportunity to look at what the cross signifies for us in our life of faith.  For many of the early converts the cross was an obstacle to faith in this Saviour that they professed who died a humiliating public death.  However, we believe that this death is not a disgrace or a failure, but converts the cross of Jesus into His throne, from which He reigns as King. Rather than shame at the cross of Jesus, we are proud that we are loved that much that Jesus was willing to freely give His life for us.  Such was the Father’s love for us, and such was the love of His Son for us. 

What does the cross signify for us?  It is more than just an ornament on jewelry, or a fixture on the wall.  It unites us to Christ in His suffering and death, so that we might be united in His resurrection.  When we come into the Church we encounter a holy water fount – at each entrance – where we discover Holy Water.  With faith and devotion, we put our finger into that water, reminding us of our Baptism in Christ, and we make the Sign of the Cross.  We make it respectfully and intentionally, to our forehead, chest and shoulders.  We ‘cross ourselves’ with the symbol of our salvation.  During the Liturgy of the Word, when the priest proclaims the gospel, we respond by making the Sign of the Cross on our forehead, our lips and our forehead.  Often people may do this, as a habit, but do not realize what they are proclaiming – that the Lord is in their mind, on their lips, and in their heart.  What a beautiful expression of the presence of God in our lives, as we prepare to hear His saving word.  The Sign of the Cross is made over the bread and wine at the beginning of the consecration, as it is transformed into the Body and Blood of Jesus. 

Many people, after receiving the Eucharist, make the Sign of the Cross, in recognition that Jesus is present to them in a new and visible way.  Finally, at the end of the Mass the celebrant blesses the congregation, and we make the Sign of the Cross, receiving the blessing before we are dismissed to share the life of Christ during our week.

During this week, let us be conscious of how and when we make the Sign of the Cross, within the Mass and outside of the Mass.  I remember the rich tradition in some cultures of parents blessing their children with the Sign of the Cross on their forehead, sending them out to school or work for the day under the protection of Jesus.  Let us ‘look up’ with pride and follow Jesus, the source of our salvation, and make of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross truly a celebration of this mystery of our salvation, this gift of the Father and of His Son, Jesus Christ.