SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 14, 2024
SATURDAY OF THE TWENTY THIRD WEEK OF THE ORDINARY B
EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS (FEAST)
Numbers 21:4-9
Philippians 2:6-11
John 3:13-17
IN THE CROSS IS SALVATION
The cross was an instrument of cruelty, suffering and death. But Jesus changed and transformed it into an instrument of peace, reconciliation and life. In Jesus Christ, the cross ceases to be a sorrowful instrument but a glorious one. And we are called to embrace the cross to gain life and salvation. This is the feast we are celebrating today, the triumph of the Cross or the exaltation of the cross.
In the secular world and according to history, crucifixion was a type of death sentence passed on criminals, rejected persons from the society and serves a punitive measure to deter people from committing further atrocities against the people. It was so cruel, raw and very slow painful death. In the life of the Jews, crucifixion was the ultimate most cruel death for sinners.
Jesus chose this means of death to atone for the sins of the world. Our God, who came in human forms, possessing body and blood just like ours, therefore chose and accepted to die this kind of shameful death to use as atonement before God for the many sins of mankind. Jesus accepted to exchange our own condemnation with his life.
The book of Numbers prefigures this event in the serpent that was raised on the standard by Moses so that anyone bitten by the serpent in the wilderness and gazes upon the raised serpent will find relief, life and live again as our first reading tells us today.
Jesus them became the victim who gave his life. St Paul in the second reading recalls for the Phillipian Church, the great humility of Christ in accepting to exchange his divine life with ours, in order to make expiation for our numerous sins and chose to die by the sacrifice of being crucified for mankind. So Jesus became like the raised serpent in the time of Moses. So that, “… as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that who ever believes in him may have eternal life.”
The great thing here is the value of the cross which has been converted from instrument of suffering to that of glorification. Because by the crucifixion man was raised from the depths of condemnation, death and eternal suffering into the realm of justification, grace and life eternal.
The cross ceases to be an instrument of terror, humiliation and death, but now a glorious means of attaining life, peace of mind and eternity. No wonder, Jesus offers us the cross as our companion in life, for he tells us, “carry your cross and follow me.”
For us therefore, we must never be afraid of the cross of Christ again, because we have been alotted our individual crosses which we are urged to carry to bring us to our eternal destination. And these crosses come in different style and shapes.
First, we must understand that crosses are sweet yoke, or sweet burdens. They are always sweet because they intend to bring us to salvation. The end is life, and salvation. It always leads to glory, peace and eternal salvation.
But the sad part is that they are yokes, burdens or sufferings that actually inconveniences, troubles and discomforts us and inflicts pains in the interim. But the crosses are never long lasting. The crosses are only temporal, momentary while on earth, they aid our happiness in life to come.
In concrete terms, they are many of those crosses we live with. First, we begin with our life in Christ. They are so many difficulties in living the ideal Christian life, for example in being humble, imbibing and living out the virtues of love, peace, patience, and relating with people and contending with the world. Even the injunction of loving others even our enemies need special grace to attain.
The crosses are not limited to these but extend to other areas of our lives, our mental agonies, psychological, physical stresses and even sicknesses, persecutions of all sorts, humiliations from people and even the daily struggles with life, provision of daily food and going against devilish societal norms that impedes God’s will. In fact, crosses are always burdens, problems and stresses one encounter in the bid to live the true, genuine and ideal life in Christ.
The boldness, desire, and willingness to accept and embrace this life is key to our glorious end in this world and Jesus expects this from us all.
Since Christ accepted it and offered it to us, we must them act by accepting and embracing this life in totality. This is the only way to our glorification and eternal life.
God of Glory, God our salvation, you showed us the way of the cross as the only way to glory and eternal life. Grant us a willing heart, disposed acceptance and persevering desire to walk along this way, joyfully accepting the burdens, sufferings, tensions and difficulties of life. May we effortlessly live this life trusting in you and at last gain the glorious and joyful happiness of eternal life through Christ our Lord.
Fr Norbert Uchuno
