Contributed by Rev. James Donohue, C.R.
Father Jim is a professor and chair of the theology Department at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, MD, where he has taught since 1996.His research and publications deal primarily with the rites of sickness, dying, and death.He teaches courses in systematics, such as Christology and Sacraments, and in pastoral education, such as Theology of Lay Ministry, Skills for Ministry, and Youth Ministry.
EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS
September 14, 2014
GATHERING TIME (10-15 minutes)
Introduction tothe Word:
The first hymn that came to mind as I was reflecting on the feast day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was Lift High the Cross.It is a triumphant hymn that celebrates the victory of the cross over sin and death.It includes phrases such as “King victorious,” “triumphant sign,” “glorious tree,” and “crucified for victory.”Its words and melody—if you were carrying the cross in procession, the tune would motivate you to hold the cross as high as possible—celebrate the cross as the sign that the way and will of God has prevailed against evil.The victory has been won and we give glory now in what has been accomplished in Christ conquering sin and death.
I looked in the index of songs and found another hymn that is suggested for this feast—Only This I Want.This hymn, with its refrain, “Only this I want: but to know the Lord and to bear his cross so to wear the crown in wore”, suggests that while the victory over sin, death, and evil have been won by Christ’s death and resurrection, there is an ongoing dimension to the cross in our daily lives.This hymn encourages Christians to continue to conform themselves to Christ, especially in his suffering and death, so that they, too, might experience the fullness of life now and in eternity.
These two hymns suggest ways that we might pray and reflect upon the triumph of the cross.While the victory HAS BEEN WON, we still live in the “end-times” when we await the final resurrection.Until that time, each of us, through our baptism, is to rejoice in the victory of Christ’s cross over the forces of evil, but at the same time, unite ourselves to Christ’s suffering and death, as we await the final resurrection.Baptism has initiated us into a certain way of living, a way that maintains that, as we follow the example of Christ in self-service and sacrifice, we will come to the fullness of life.This is indeed what Paul writes in his letter to the Romans when he says, “Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father we too might live in newness of life.”
Warm-up Activity(about 8–10 minutes):
Think of a time when you have conformed yourself to Christ’s suffering and death.It might have been a time when you gave devoted care to an elderly parent or sick child; it might have been a time when you gave service by volunteering in the midst of a busy schedule; it might have been a time when you offered a listening ear to a friend or neighbour.There might be similar situations to reflect upon.
Did you think of this time as an opportunity that you were conforming yourself to Christ’s suffering and death?If so, what happened that made you think that this was true?How might you describe this experience?
Did you experience any type of new life as a result of your sacrifice or service?How might you describe this to someone?What was this experience like?
Might you name this experience as a “triumph of the cross?”
The Table of the Word
There were some medieval theologians who argued that the incarnation—God becoming flesh—would not have been necessary without humanity’s fall.Others argued that the incarnation was part of God’s plan from the beginning so that God could reveal to us in Jesus—who is truly God and truly human—what it is to be God and what it is to be human.Certainly the cross serves as a prism to understand both aspects of God’s revelation in Jesus to us.
On the one hand, the cross reveals who God is—a loving God.Jesus, the visible form of the invisible God, reveals that in the face of sin and evil, God chooses love, for indeed, that is who God is—love.On the cross, Jesus continues to love his enemies, forgiving them.On the cross, Jesus reveals that God loves us so much that he would allow his only Son to be crucified.God so loved the world…
On the other hand, the cross reveals what it is to be human.In this life, we suffer and die.But, Jesus reveals to us that as humans we can come to the fullness of life by learning to give ourselves away for the sake of another.In other words, every act of self-sacrifice and service is an opportunity for us to unite ourselves to Christ’s own sufferings so that we will experience the fullness of life.Interestingly, we look forward to this fullness of life in eternity when we are united with God, but also in this life, where we can experience “new life” and fulfillment each time that we die to ourselves, uniting ourselves to Christ.Indeed, it is through these “daily” dyings that we are preparing ourselves for our ultimate death and resurrection.
Leader:Born again of water and the Spirit, we celebrate our victory over sin.
Lord Jesus, you reveal yourself to us as being fully God and fully human,
Lord have mercy.
Christ Jesus, you free us from our sin and teach us how to forgive,
Christ have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you commission us in baptism to exercise our priestly ministry of service and self-sacrifice,
Lord have mercy.
Let us pray (together):
Lord,
we long to make our thoughts your thoughts,
and our ways your ways. As we prepare with attentive mind and open heart
to hear your Word, Lord, we long to be empowered with your Spirit
so that we maybring your Word to our families, our parishes and our communities.
This, our prayer, we make in Jesus’ name.Amen.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION TIME(45 minutes)
(As Christians we believe that the WORD of God we hear proclaimed each Sunday is an empowering Word, and that God is present in the Word proclaimed.This is the Word that God wants us to hear today.The dynamic of the Small Christian Community, namely, reflecting on our life-story within the context of this Word, and sharing the insights of these reflections, is such that God’s Spirit becomes present, and the gifts of the Spirit are experienced as empowering and life-giving ).
FIRST READING (Numbers 21:4-9)
In those days: the people became impatient on the way. They spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.” Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many children of Israel died. The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people.
And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.” So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.
The Word of the Lord.Thanks be to God.
SECOND READING (Philippians 2:6-11)
Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross. Therefore God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The Word of the Lord.Thanks be to God.
GOSPEL (John 3:13-17)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John.Glory to you, O Lord.
Jesus said to Nicodemus: “No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
The Gospel of the Lord.Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
(Take 5-7 minutes to review the readings, looking for a word or thought
that strikes you in some way. Share your insights.)
COMMENTARY:
(Allow 5–10 minutes for the group members to identify a thought, word,
or phrase that has some special meaning for them at this time.)
The story of the Fall is the story of humanity not trusting in God’s plan for them.Humanity is unwilling to accept its place as a creature, and, instead, wishes to be the lord of its own life…in other words, creatures refuse to be creatures and long to be God!So, instead of accepting and trusting in God’s plan, our first parents—representing a tendency in all humans—grasped on their own what God wished freely to give them.The story of Israel is the story of the continued tendency of not trusting God.Even after God had led the people out of captivity in Egypt and saved them from annihilation as they faced the Red Sea, they still lacked trust in God’s ways.The reading from the Book of Numbers gives evidence of Israel’s lack of trust as the people complain now about being in the desert with no food or drink.They try to blame Moses, forgetting that it was their own disobedience that led them to wandering in the desert!As the people repent of their distrust in God, Moses is asked to fashion a serpent of bronze so that the people may gaze upon it and live.The serpent, sent as a sign of punishment and judgment upon Israel, as it is lifted up, now becomes the source of salvation for them.This will foreshadow Christ, who cursed and ridiculed by those around him, will be raised up on the cross as the source of salvation for the entire world.
The second reading is from one of the most ancient texts in the New Testament. It is an early hymn to Christ which existed and was in circulation before Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians. This hymn to Christ depends heavily upon the fourth of the “Servant Songs,” a series of powerful texts about God’s Servant, found in the prophet Isaiah. Here we can identify a common pattern in both Isaiah 52:13-53:12 and Phil 2: 6-11. In each case, the servant in Isaiah, and Jesus in the Philippians text, follows the will of God in obedience, becoming lowly even to death. This faithful service in the face of unjust persecution leads to blessing from God. The servant/Jesus gave themselves up to suffering and death, for the sake of others, and both are justified, vindicated, and exalted in the end. Biblical scholars recognize a similar pattern and a shared vocabulary, leading to the conclusion that the ancient hymn in Philippians—notice that it is probably indented in your Bible, indicating that Paul is using a hymn that has already circulated well before the writing of his letter—was probably written by a faithful Jewish Christian who knew the Old Testament and noted the similarities of Jesus’ suffering and death with that of the “suffering servant” of Isaiah. In other words, this hymn in Philippians uses the “suffering servant” of Isaiah to understand Jesus’ suffering and death and resurrection. Jesus fulfills the prophetic image in Isaiah, and the Philippians’ hymn used this image to instruct and illustrate their image of who Christ was.Jesus is faithful to God’s mission in accepting and being compassionate to all people, leading to opposition and hostility, even death, death on the cross.But, Jesus is vindicated by God and raised up because of his selfless and faithful service.Christians who conform themselves to Christ, including his suffering and dying, put the same trust in God that God will raise them to new life in and through their suffering.
The Gospel reading refers back to our first reading, remembering the time in the desert when Moses raised the bronze serpent to save the people.Before Moses does this, the serpent was the curse that was bringing about the people’s downfall.This same serpent now becomes the means to salvation.Similarly, Jesus, who in the eyes of the world is a common criminal, hanging upon a cross, becomes the very means of salvation.Indeed, Paul, referring to Deuteronomy 21:23, uses the language of curse to refer to Jesusand the salvation he has won for us: “The Messiah redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written, ‘A curse on everyone who is hung on a tree!’” (Galatians 3:13).Just as God had compassion on his people Israel, God has compassion on the whole world because God SO LOVED the world.God accomplishes good out of sin and death that Jesus accepted for our sake.Unlike our ancestors who tried to grasp from God what was to be freely given, Jesus does NOT grasp equality with God as something to be exploited, but became one of us, showing us how to trust in God…even if this path led to suffering and death.Through his trust in God, Jesus was vindicated and is able to save the entire world that God has made in love.
Questions for Reflection and Discussion:
A gentle reminder on howbest to approach the questions
1.Remember that the questions are meant to serve as “prompts” that allow you to place your life story in dialogue with the current Gospel story. It takes a little practice to attune our hearts and minds to these prompts, so stay with it and keep trying.
2.The leader should read one question and its subdivisions as a whole. Then allow a few moments for the group members to respond to whichever part of the question has relevance for them at this time, always allowing for maximum participation.
- (Numbers)“Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.”
b)Were their complaints justified in any way?
c)What are my general complaints to God?
d)How are they justified?
- (Philippians)“He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross.”
b)How might I be called to be obedient in my life as a follower of Jesus?
c)How have I been called to conform myself to Christ “to the point of death?”
d)How have I found new life when this has happened?
- (John)“For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”
b)Do I find myself believing that God truly wishes that I have eternal life? Why or why not?
c)How might following Jesus continue to show God’s love for the world?
d)How might following Jesus continue to allow God to give life for the world?
CARING-PRAYING TIME:(15–20 minutes)
- Word for the Week:
Reflect often on these words this week and consider them spoken to you by Jesus:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”
2. Suggestions for the week:
Be mindful of the cross this week.The cross reminds us of the power of evil in the world: “This is your hour, the power of darkness” (Luke 22:53); but also of proof of the power of goodness in the world, for the cross becomes the sign that the way and the will of God will prevail.The true wisdom of the cross holds these together: neither ignoring the presence and power of evil (superficial optimism) not allowing the presence and power of evil to negate the sovereignty of God (fatalistic dualism).