St. Joseph's Catholic Church

The Cross of our Salvation

Today we do not simply remember the cross as a piece of wood, but as the sign of our salvation.

In the first reading, the Israelites were bitten by serpents in the desert. When they looked upon the bronze serpent lifted up by Moses, they were healed. This foreshadows Christ lifted up on the cross. Whoever looks upon Him with faith is healed from the bite of sin.

St. Paul tells us in Philippians that Jesus, though equal with God, “emptied Himself” and accepted the most shameful death—the death of a criminal on a cross. And because of this humility, God exalted Him, so that every knee should bend and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

In the Gospel, we hear the verse we all know by heart: “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.” The cross is not a sign of defeat—it is the proof of God’s limitless love. What looks like shame becomes glory; what looks like death becomes life.

That is why the Church “exalts” the cross today. We raise it high not because we love suffering, but because through the cross we see the depth of God’s mercy and the triumph of Christ. The cross reminds us that no suffering we carry, no sin we bear, is beyond the reach of God’s redeeming love. So, brothers and sisters, let us ask ourselves: Do I look upon the cross as a burden, or as a blessing? When I see the crucifix, do I see only pain, or do I also see God’s victory?

As we celebrate this feast, let us carry the cross with faith, unite our struggles with Christ’s, and find strength in His love. For the cross is not the end—it is the way to resurrection.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.