HOMILY FOR THE FEAST OF THE EXALTATION OF THE CROSS (1)

HOMILY FOR THE FEAST OF THE EXALTATION OF THE CROSS

THEME: POWER OF THE CROSS

BY: Fr. Gerald M. Musa

HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 14 2022

According to Pope St. Leo the Great, “True reverence for the Lord’s passion means fixing the eyes of our heart on Jesus crucified and recognizing in him our own humanity.” The people of Israel saw a glimpse of the cross as they gazed at the bronze serpent. When they were bitten by fiery snakes, Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses, “Make a seraph (serpent) and mount it on a pole, and if any who have been bitten look at it, they will live” (Numbers 21:8). Jesus referred to the lifted serpent when he was speaking with Nicodemus. He says: “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 may have eternal life” (John 3:14-15). By these words, Jesus compares himself to that brazen serpent. He prophesied about his crucifixion and indicates that whoever looks up to him and believes in him will have eternal life. Just as the fiery serpent is transformed into a remedy, so will the cross, an instrument of death, be transformed into a life-giving tree. He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities and by his stripes, we are healed (Isaiah 53:5-6). Can we reflect more deeply on the power and wisdom of the cross”

NUMBERS 21: 4B-9; PHIL 2:6-11; JN 3:13-17