Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Monday of the 24th week in ordinary time, September 14, 2026, Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
The theme for our meditation today is: Renewed By the Cross of Christ. Today the whole Church celebrates the feast of the Holy Cross. This feast began to be celebrated in Rome around the end of the 7th century to commemorate the discovery of the part of the cross of Jesus that was kept in Jerusalem under the Persian rule. Emperor Heraclius discovered it and brought it from Jerusalem on May 3, 629.
What does it mean to be renewed by the cross of Christ? The Lord Jesus came to unite earth and heaven and then bring those on earth to His glory in heaven. He explained this to Nicodemus, one of the rabbis of the Jews, that He was the "Son of Man" sent by the Father in heaven to restore man's broken relationship with God. The Son of Man is the Messiah in the old testament who came from heaven to build a kingdom on earth.
In contrast to the Jewish view, Jesus actually spoke about the Son of Man being exalted. What does this mean? Jesus was associated with Moses who raised a bronze snake in the wilderness to heal those who were bitten by poisonous snakes. The people of Israel were punished for opposing God. Moses raised the bronze snake on a stake that resembled the cross, from which the people were to return to put their faith in God alone.
This connection is to emphasize what Jesus wants to show us, that through the His death on the cross, He really saved us. But what Jesus did was much greater and more powerful, because what Moses did was only to bring temporary results, namely healing of people from snake bites. What Jesus did was that His death on the cross brought in true victory over sin, satan and death. By dying on the cross, Jesus took away our debt of sin, freed us from guilt and punishment. We have new life, a life in abundance in the Holy Spirit forever.
This renewal means that Jesus' death on the cross shows and teaches us an act of love, namely the total offering of Himself. He did this as an offering of His love to the Father and for our redemption. This renewal also describes the resurrection as our experience of having glorious bodies to enjoy everlasting life and sitting at the right hand of the Father to live forever. Now He is in heaven to rule and guide our life that still continues here on earth. Our lives here and now are truly blessed by the triumph of the cross of Christ.
Let's pray. In the name of the Father ... O Lord Jesus Christ, may our lives as individuals and a people in Your Kingdom be always illuminated and strengthened by the mystery of Your holy cross which is a glorious victory for us. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father ...
