Scripture Reflections for Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Year C, Lectionary 638
Before Jesus was lifted up on the cross, like Moses lifted up the serpent, Christ first humbled himself and came down to humanity. What drove Jesus to empty himself for the cross is his love for us. As we pick up our crosses to follow Jesus, let us do so with love for God and others being the driving factor.
Hate feeling lost on Sundays at church? Searching for a better explanation of the Bible than what you hear from your pastor's sermon? Check out the following collection of audio, video, and text commentaries from various Christian experts for a better understanding of today's scripture that deal with: Constantine • Cross • Divinity • Failure • History • Holy Spirit • Light • Love • Salvation • Snake • Solidarity • Suffering • Victory •
“So Paul's writing to this church at Philippi and what does he do? In one breath he both upholds Jewish monotheism, right, by quoting Isaiah 45 and at the same time makes clear that, implicitly, he doesn't say it, that Jesus is Lord and, who's not lord? Caesar.”
“Jesus's name literally means in Hebrew 'the Lord saves.' So the name of Jesus is very powerful, it tells you both who he is and what he's come to do, it reveals his identity and it reveals his mission”
“Humility means to be grounded, to be grounded. God is certainly humbling us at this time and we're called to keep our eyes fixed on that humble Jesus who takes up that cross and embraces it and walks these days that we know lead to victory”
“The love of God is not manifested in the might of armies but in the suffering of the cross, not by dominating others but in loving service”
“What was once merely an instrument of Roman punishment became in Christ...an instrument of divine mercy, a symbol of love, and above all our hope for God's total deliverance at the end of time.”
“Because on the wood of the cross God proved to the world that no darkness is so deep that it cannot bring light from it, no suffering so final that he cannot bring new life from it”
“When we see the cross of salvation, that's love, Church. That is love.”
“the first step to salvation is to look right at your darkness, to stare right in the face of the very thing that has led you away from God”
“His sacrifice was not only about suffering. It is about the fact that love is stronger than sin”
“Jesus uses this very story to show that God brings healing to those who are in need. In Christ's explanation, those in need of healing are those poisoned by sin, temptation, and darkness. Jesus is the antidote, the one hoisted above the crowd.”
“the cross allows us to look upon the very worst that we could do and see in the heart of it divinity somehow, not from us but from God”
