To find true healing, one must look honestly at the cross, recognizing both the suffering of Christ and the reality of personal sin and brokenness. Just as the Israelites gazed upon the bronze serpent for healing, so too are we invited to look upon Jesus lifted up, trusting that in facing our wounds and failures with Him, we find forgiveness, peace, and the hope of renewal. This act is not merely about remembering past wrongs, but about allowing Christ’s sacrifice to transform our present struggles and lead us toward wholeness. [05:02]
John 3:14-17 (ESV)
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."
Reflection: What is one area of pain or failure in your life that you need to bring honestly before the cross today, trusting Jesus to bring healing and renewal as you look to Him?
All sin is rooted in grasping after things—whether pride, pleasure, recognition, or control—that cannot ultimately fulfill or lead to eternal life. Christ, by contrast, shows us the way of letting go, refusing to cling even to what was rightfully His, and instead entrusting Himself fully to the Father. We are called to examine what we are grasping for in our own lives and to follow Jesus in releasing those things that keep us from true freedom and joy. [03:54]
Philippians 2:5-8 (ESV)
"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
Reflection: What is one thing you find yourself grasping for—recognition, control, comfort, or something else—that you sense God is inviting you to release today?
Grief and suffering are unavoidable parts of life, but Christ invites us to look at them honestly, not to avoid or deny them, and to trust that He is present even in the darkest moments. By looking upon the cross and remembering the promise of resurrection, we can find hope and comfort, knowing that God brings light out of darkness and life out of death. This perspective allows us to move through our pain with faith, trusting that God is at work even when we cannot see the outcome. [07:43]
Matthew 5:4 (ESV)
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
Reflection: Where are you experiencing grief or disappointment right now, and how can you invite Jesus to meet you in that place with His comfort and hope?
True conversion is not just feeling regret for past actions, but a real turning—a 180-degree change—away from sin and toward the life Christ offers. This means honestly facing the ways we have responded to life’s challenges with pride, selfishness, or other sins, and asking for the grace to change. As we look upon the cross and recognize both our need and God’s mercy, we are empowered to begin anew, walking in the freedom and joy of a changed life. [09:06]
Acts 3:19 (ESV)
"Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord."
Reflection: What is one specific area where you sense God calling you to make a real change—a 180-degree turn—this week?
Keeping the cross before our eyes—whether in church, at home, or in our hearts—reminds us to see all of life through the lens of Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection. This perspective helps us to put our daily struggles, successes, and failures in their proper place, always remembering that our ultimate hope is in eternal life with God. By living with one foot in this world and one foot in the next, we are able to trust, love, and persevere with the peace that comes from knowing the end of the story. [08:12]
Colossians 3:1-2 (ESV)
"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth."
Reflection: What is one practical way you can keep the cross and the hope of eternal life before you today, allowing it to shape your perspective and actions?
Today’s reflection centers on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, a day that invites us to gaze upon the cross not as a symbol of defeat, but as the very source of life and hope. The cross stands at the heart of our faith, reminding us that God did not come to condemn, but to save. The history of this feast traces back to the early Church, when the true cross was discovered and venerated, and ever since, Christians have kept the cross close as a sign of Christ’s sacrificial love.
The readings draw us into the story of the Israelites in the desert, who, despite being sustained by God’s gift of manna, grew weary and complained. Their ingratitude led to suffering, symbolized by the serpents that bit them. This echoes the first sin in Eden, where pride led Adam and Eve to grasp after what was not theirs, resulting in separation from God. The cross, by contrast, is the place where Christ, though equal with God, refused to grasp at power or privilege. Instead, he emptied himself, stretching out his arms in total surrender, unable to grasp at anything, modeling for us the path of humility and trust.
Sin, at its core, is a grasping after things that cannot fulfill—pride, greed, pleasure, recognition. The cross calls us to let go of these fleeting pursuits and to look upon Christ, lifted up, as the source of healing and forgiveness. Just as the Israelites were healed by gazing upon the bronze serpent, we are invited to look honestly at our own wounds, sins, and griefs, and to bring them to the cross. In doing so, we do not avoid our pain or failures, but face them with hope, trusting that God can bring resurrection out of crucifixion.
This journey is not easy. It means confronting our grief, our disappointments, and our failures, but always with the assurance that Christ has gone before us. The Beatitudes remind us that those who mourn will be comforted, and that suffering, when united to Christ, leads to blessing. Keeping the crucifix before our eyes—at church, at home, in our hearts—reminds us to see as Christ sees, to respond with humility, and to trust in the promise of eternal life. The Eucharist, prefigured by the manna, nourishes us for this journey, casting out the venom of sin and drawing us into deeper communion with God.
Numbers 21:4–9 (ESV) — > From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.
2. Philippians 2:5–8 (ESV)
> Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
3. John 3:14–17 (ESV)
> And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
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