23RD SATURDAY HOMILY IN ORDINARY TIME (THE EXALTATION OF THE CROSS)

23RD SATURDAY HOMILY IN ORDINARY TIME (THE EXALTATION OF THE CROSS) — YEAR B

HOMILY THEME: Save us Savior of the world; for by your Cross and Resurrection, you have set us free

BY: Bishop Anthony Ewherido

Num 21:4-9; Psalm 77(78):1-2, 34-38; Phil 2:6-11; John 3:13-17

“The Son of Man must be lifted up just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert…”

Moses, at God’s command, lifted up the bronze serpent in the desert and the rebellious Israelites were saved from the deadly consequences of sin and rebellion. Upon the Cross, God lifted up Jesus, His Son, as ransom for the entire human race, to save it from eternal death and redeem it for eternal life. The Cross is the price of our redemption; a price paid through the sacrifice, obedience and generosity of Jesus.

The Cross is the mark of God’s love for us; for upon it, God manifested his love for humanity, by allowing His only begotten Son to die for our sake. Despite being a sign of shame, disgrace and ridicule in ancient times, that Cross remained God’s chosen instrument for our salvation. Upon it is found the depth of humiliation and abasement as well as the profundity of obedience, but it is also the source of eternal salvation for all, as the same Cross became the vehicle for Jesus’ return to the Father and for his exultation. In his crucifixion, Jesus bridged the gap between heaven and earth and reestablished the loving relationship between
God and creation that was destroyed by disobedience and rebellion in Genesis 3. The Cross was God’s instrument for the restoration of humanity to paradise, having reconciled us to Himself in Christ. In his lifting up on the Cross is to be fully accomplished his exultation as Lord and King, the eternal Son of the Father. Our destiny is tied to the same Cross; not only that our salvation was worked out from upon it but that, in the crosses of our daily lives, we prove our loyalty, obedience, and sacrificial love in union with Jesus’ Cross and Sacrifice. The beautiful hymn from today’s second reading sums it all up. Therefore, as people who are united with Christ in his very life and destiny, let us revere him endlessly and profess him as Lord. Let us glorify God by living after the example he has given us. Let us live by the power of his Name, knowing that that Name is the key to God’s heart.

Lord, give us the grace and strength to unite ourselves with you by patiently bearing our own crosses. Amen.

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