Word to the Wise
Tuesday, September 14, 2010 - The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
[Numbers 21:4b-9; Philippians 2:6-11; John 3:13-17]The Lord said to Moses, :Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and if any who have been bitten look at it, they will live." Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he lived. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so much the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2010 THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS [Numbers 21:4b-9; Philippians 2:6-11; John 3:13-17] The Lord said to Moses, :Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and if any who have been bitten look at it, they will live." Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he lived. (Numbers) And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so much the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. (John) One could spend a lifetime (indeed some have) sorting out all the symbolism and meaning of the cross. The feast of the Exaltation of the Cross originally celebrated the finding of the "true cross" by St. Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine. The liturgical tradition of the church has gradually broadened the significance of the celebration to include all the different meanings of the cross as symbol. Almost any kind of suffering can find a home in this symbol! And it is very important to note that today's feast is about the CROSS and not specifically about CRUCIFIXION, even if the latter is implied. The scripture today invites us to consider two different levels of meaning, which are related to each other: suffering and healing. The suffering shows up in the scripture from the Book of Numbers and in St. Paul's use of an ancient hymn which speaks of Christ "becoming obedient unto death, even death on a cross." The healing shows up again in the Book of Numbers and in the passage from the Gospel of John which speaks of Jesus as being "lifted up" like the "serpent in the desert" that all who believe in him "might have eternal life." Moses' use of the serpent on a pole, an ancient Middle Eastern remedy and a symbol of life/death becomes a "type" for Christ's ultimate sacrifice ("even death on a cross"). Of course, the rich symbolism can also suggest the contrast between the serpent in Genesis - the instrument of death - with Christ on the cross - the instrument of life! (No wonder the health care profession uses this symbol, called a "caduceus" as its logo!). One could go on and on with the cross! How could a symbol of execution become a symbol of eternal life? Friends of mine in New Orleans have a wall in their living room that is covered with crosses of various kinds. It invites the onlooker to consider many ways that this Christian symbol can be expressed. Perhaps today we could look at the crosses on our walls and then at the "crosses" in our lives and give some thought to the one cross that served on one day to save all forever. AMEN
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