Sunday Reflections
Exultation of the Cross (24 Sunday of Year C)
I am an ambassador of the Cross
✠ A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John 3:13-17
Jesus said to
Nicodemus:
‘No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who came down from heaven,
the Son of Man who is in heaven;
and the Son of Man must be lifted up
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.
Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost
but may have eternal life.
For God sent his Son into the world
not to condemn the world,
but so that through him, the world might be saved.’
1. Today, we reflect on the mystery of the Cross. Our three readings concur to affirm that without the cross, we are not saved. The first reading, which speaks of the desert experience of the poisonous serpent (num 21:4-9) is taken up in the gospel when Jesus declares: “The Son of Man must be lifted up as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” Here, Jesus makes it clear that the Cross is not an accident in history, but a divine plan of love. Just as the bronze serpent brought healing to the Israelites who looked upon it in faith, so the Cross becomes the instrument of our salvation when we turn our gaze to Christ who was lifted high for our sake.
2. The Cross reveals to us the depth of God’s love. “God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son” (Jn 3:16). This gift was not merely in words but in the total self-offering of Jesus on the Cross. To understand salvation, therefore, is to understand love. The Cross is not just a symbol of suffering but the ultimate proof that God loves us beyond measure. Each time we make the sign of the Cross, put on our crucifix as neckless, we remind ourselves that our faith rests on this immense love.
3. The Cross also challenges our way of thinking. To the human mind, suffering and humiliation seem like failure. But in God’s wisdom, the Cross is victory. Jesus did not save us by condemning the world, but by entering into its pain, its brokenness, and its sin. On the Cross, he took upon himself what was meant to destroy us and transformed it into the path of life. This is why we proclaim boldly: “We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.”
4. The Cross also demands a response of faith. Jesus said: “Everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” Looking at the Cross is not enough; we are invited to believe—to entrust ourselves completely to the one who died and rose for us. Faith in the Cross means that we do not despair in our struggles, we do not give up in our trials, and we do not run away from sacrifice. Instead, we unite our sufferings with the sufferings of Christ, knowing that they have redemptive power when offered in love.
5. The cross has remained a sign of victory in our struggles in this world, be it spiritual or physical. The pagan Emperor Constantine, in the 4th century, a night before storming the city of Rome in the battle against Maxentus, had a dream in which he saw the cross of Christ with the inscription: ‘in hoc signo vinces’.(In this sign, you conquer) At this, he quickly inscribed the cross on his sword and asked his soldiers to do the same. He won the battle, and that was the beginning of his conversion to christianity. If the Cross is a sign of victory, then we must carry our own crosses daily with patience and trust. We are also called to become signs of salvation for others—by forgiving as Christ forgave, by loving as he loved, and by serving as he served. The Cross shapes our Christian identity; it teaches us humility, obedience, and self-giving love. To live without the Cross is to live without Christ.
6. Finally, you remember that the Cross does not end in death but opens to resurrection. Jesus was lifted up not only on Calvary but also in glory at the Father’s right hand. Today’s second reading (Phil 2:6-9) makes it clear that because Jesus accepted the Cross, God has given him a powerful name, at the mention of which every kneel must bow. Without accepting the Cross, Jesus would not have resurrected from dead. Therefore, the Cross is the door to eternal life. As you stand before it, do not see it as a burden but as a blessing, not as defeat but as victory. Today, renew your faith in the power of the Cross, for indeed, “the Cross is our salvation.” Be bold to exhibit the sign of the Cross wherever you find yourself. Do not be a Nicodemus, who goes to Jesus at night because he is afraid to identify with the Cross. Be an ambassador of the cross.
