Today we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. At first glance, it might seem strange: why would we exalt something that was once a tool of torture and death? Yet, for us as Christians, the Cross is no longer a sign of defeat. It is the very place where Christ conquered sin and death, where God’s love was poured out in its fullest measure. In the first reading, we heard the story of the bronze serpent lifted up in the desert. Those who gazed upon it were healed from deadly bites. This was a sign pointing forward to Christ himself, who would be lifted up on the Cross so that all who look to him with faith might have eternal life. St. Paul tells us in the second reading that Jesus “humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God highly exalted him.” The Cross, then, is not only the place of Christ’s suffering, but also the door to his glory. What looked like shame has become victory. What looked like weakness has become power. And in the Gospel, Jesus himself says: “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.” On the Cross, Jesus draws the whole of humanity into his saving embrace. He does not exclude anyone – he opens his arms wide for the world.

What does this mean for us today?

It means first that the Cross is not something to fear but something to cling to. We all carry crosses in our lives: sickness, aging process, loss, struggles, burdens. On our own, they feel unbearable. But when we unite them with the Cross of Christ, they become redemptive. The Cross teaches us that suffering does not have the last word – love does. It also means that we are called to live as people of the Cross: to be willing to give of ourselves, to forgive, to love even when it costs us. Every time we make the Sign of the Cross, we remind ourselves that we belong to Christ, and that our lives are marked by his victory. So today, let us not look upon the Cross as a symbol of pain, but as the tree of life. Let us exalt the Cross because through it salvation has come into the world. And let us ask for the grace to carry our own crosses with faith and courage, knowing that if we share in Christ’s death, we shall also share in his glory.