Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Reading
I
Nm 21:4b-9
With their patience worn out by the journey,
the people complained against God and Moses,
"Why have you brought us up from
where there is no food or water?
We are disgusted with this wretched food!"
In punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents,
which bit the people so that many of them died.
Then the people came to Moses and said,
"We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you.
Pray the LORD to take the serpents from us."
So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses,
"Make a saraph and mount it on a pole,
and if any who have been bitten look at it, they will live."
Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole,
and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent
looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
Responsorial
Psalm
Ps 78:1bc-2,
34-35, 36-37, 38
R (see 7b) Do not forget the works of the Lord!
Hearken, my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable,
I will utter mysteries from of old.
R Do not forget the works of the Lord!
While he slew them they sought him
and inquired after God again,
Remembering that God was their rock
and the Most High God, their redeemer.
R Do not forget the works of the Lord!
But they flattered him with their mouths
and lied to him with their tongues,
Though their hearts were not steadfast toward him,
nor were they faithful to his covenant.
R Do not forget the works of the Lord!
But he, being merciful, forgave their sin
and destroyed them not;
Often he turned back his anger
and let none of his wrath be roused.
R Do not forget the works of the Lord!
Reading
II
Phil
2:6-11
Brothers and sisters:
Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Gospel
Jn 3:13-17
Jesus said to Nicodemus:
"No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.
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."
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Commentary
The First Reading presents us with a very old story that explains why a bronze serpent stood in the temple of Jerusalem. The bronze figure was destroyed during the reign of Hezekiah because a cult worship began to flourish around it. Because of its ability to regenerate itself the serpent symbolizes life and was used as a fertility symbol from ancient times.
The story is told in a formalized pattern that is used a number of times throughout the Pentateuch:
rebellionàpunishmentàintercessionàforgiveness
Although the events of this story occur in a new generation that is within range of entrance into the promised land, they too begin to complain against Moses and God just as their fathers who perished on account of their rebellion did. The complaint again centers on food and drink and a longing to return to Egypt. Yahweh responds immediately with punishment by sending serpents that bite the people, resulting in a great number of deaths. The people turn to Moses for help, confessing that they have sinned and ask Moses to pray that God will lift the punishment. Moses intercedes and receives from God instructions for bringing about an end to the suffering. Moses does exactly what Yahweh commands and makes a bronze serpent and raises it on a pole. Anyone who looks at the serpent recovers. The healing of the bites is linked to obedience and to faith, and ironically, the healing comes from a source like that of the punishment.
The Second Reading comes from Paul’s invitation to Christians to live life in imitation of Christ. These particular verses are called a “Christological Hymn”. The first part of the hymn (verses 6-8) Paul paints a picture of Christ who did not selfishly cling to his exalted position of being in the form of God. There appears to be a contrast here between Jesus and Adam who was made in the likeness of God, but succumbed to the temptation of having equality with God. (See Gen 1:26-27; 3:5). Jesus, unlike Adam, rejected sin and freely emptied (kenosis) himself from his exalted position and took on Adam’s condition of slavery to sin and corruption; he accepted the form of a slave. But Paul goes further by stating that even after sharing in our corrupt, human-like condition, Christ fulfilled what Adam was unable to do by humbling himself even further in obedience to God by undergoing death. Paul probably selected this hymn because of the emphasis of selflessness and humility which ultimately meant death itself, and this is precisely what he has been preaching to the Philippians. Other Christological Hymns purposely omitted mentioning the cross because they considered it to be shameful, but for Paul the cross was a symbol of Christ’s glory.
In the second part of the hymn, Christ Jesus, who humbled himself and died is an important example for all believers (particularly the Philippians). Just as Christ the second Adam was exalted by God, so Christians who suffer and die bearing witness to the Gospel may expect to be raised to new life when the exalted Lord returns. Because of his selflessness, obedience, and humility, Jesus was exalted and given a name which is above every name, so that when it is pronounced the whole cosmos responds by kneeling and glorifying God the Father by confessing that Jesus is Lord.
Today’s Gospel Reading presents us with part of a dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus. The discourse turns to the Johannine claim that Jesus is the only source of knowledge about the heavenly world: no one has ascended to heaven, thereby negating the claims of other visionaries to have knowledge of what is in heaven. The first of three Son-of-Man sayings referring to Jesus’ exaltation is introduced. The author then alludes to Num 21:9 (see First Reading) which according to Wisdom 16:5-7 turned Israel toward the Torah and toward God as Savior. In the Johannine tradition, we are reminded that it is the Son who brings life to the world and those who believe in the Son have eternal life.
Reflection
Because crucifixion was an act reserved for ultimate punishment, the cross was seen as an instrument of torture and death. For this reason, the cross as symbol of Christian faith in God’s salvation was rarely seen in public until about the fourth century. In private, however, the cross was seen and accepted as an article of deep devotion. Not until the reign of the Emperor Constantine (306-337 A.D.), who declared through the Edict of Milan that Christianity be a licit religion and whose mother Helen is attributed with finding the Holy Cross, was the cross to be displayed prominently. The mystery of Christ’s death on the cross continues to be a controversy among believers and non-believers alike.
Jesus’ death on the cross can be understood only in the light of his ministry. His entire life was dedicated to fulfilling the Father’s mission to whom he was faithful despite the difficulties and ultimately the consequence of death on a cross, which in the eyes of man is seen as an ultimate failure. Even the apostles did not understand Jesus’ death or even his resurrection until the Holy Spirit enlightened them. Eventually, the early Christians discovered the great treasure contained in the mystery of Jesus’ death. St. Paul’s letters are a testament to the early Church’s belief and understanding that Jesus’ death on the cross was in effect a perfect and holy sacrifice that once and for all cleansed humanity from sin and reconciles us to God. Ultimately, the cross was seen as a manifestation of God’s love for mankind.
Undoubtedly, without the cross Christ would not have been crucified but without his crucifixion and death on the cross, we would not have shared in eternal life and the gates to heaven would have remained closed forever. From the cross God’s unending love was manifested because through his suffering, Jesus gives us salvation. That is why the cross needs to be embraced. We must be able to cry out like St. Paul: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:20) and allow ourselves to be nailed to the cross so we can die to selfishness and sin which so often weighs down our soul and keeps us from truly loving God and our neighbor. We must become true imitators of Christ especially in his spirit of fidelity, love, and charity. The cross cannot be despised and looked upon as an instrument of torture but rather must be seen as the throne of salvation. Through our Baptism we share in Christ’s life death and resurrection but to resurrect we must die and this means carrying the very cross to which we need to be nailed just as Jesus took up his.
Biblical Sources
New American Bible; Brown, R. K., and Comfort, P. W. (trans.) and Douglas, J. D., (ed.) “The New Greek-English Interlinear New Testament”; United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; Budd, P. J., “Numbers”; Burns, R. J., “Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers”; Getty, M. A., “Philippians and Philemon”; Houlden, J. L., “Paul’s Letters from Prison”;Barret, C. K., “The Gospel According to John”; Brown, R. E., “The Community of the Beloved Disciple”; Schnackenburg, R., “The Gospel According to St. John”; Segovia, F. F., “Love Relationships in the Johannine Tradition”; “The Collegeville Bible Commentary”; Brown, Raymond E., S.S., “Introduction to the New Testament”; Brown, Fitzmyer, and Murphy (ed.) “The New Jerome Biblical Commentary”.
Reflection by
Deacon Lazaro
J. Ulloa