Word to the Wise
Thursday, September 14, 2017 - Sept. 14 - The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
[Num 21:4b-9; Phil 2:6-11; John 3:13-17]"And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." [John]
The cross is the symbol of Christianity. But it took awhile for Christians to adopt it as such. Jesus' death by crucifixion was a scandal to many Jews because that form of execution was so humiliating and was reserved by the Romans for the worst offenses. Notice in today's second scripture from Philippians that St. Paul says, "EVEN death on a cross!" By the time the Gospel According to John was written, there seems to be a process of understanding the cross as an instrument in Jesus' mission of salvation. Jesus speaks of being "lifted up" just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert. The first scripture today from the Book of Numbers recounts that incident. (Scripture scholars point out that he mentions this three times in this gospel, which would parallel the three predictions of the passion in the other three gospels.)
Because the cross so familiar to us, we may take it for granted, but Jesus clearly intends the cross to be a means of discipleship. He exhorts his disciples to "take up their cross and follow after him." Suffering is not just for the sake of suffering. It is an opportunity to bear witness. Some early Christians did inflict suffering on themselves, but this is not a requirement, and suffering remains one of the most difficult points of meditation in our faith. St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that the only reason that makes sense of why Jesus died as he did is love. Jesus did that for us. The cross is the symbol of Christianity because it is an invitation to discipleship and not just something that happened to Jesus. On Good Friday, we kiss the cross and remember that love and that invitation. Today's feast is another reminder. AMEN
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