EXALTACION DE LA CRUZ 2025

¿Alguna vez has visto una cruz? ¿Qué piensas cuando ves una cruz? ¿Alguna vez te has signado con la cruz? Queridos hermanos y hermanas, permítanme decirles que la cruz es uno de los símbolos que vemos en muchos lugares, que utilizamos en muchas ocasiones y circunstancias, y que llevamos con nosotros en diferentes estilos, colores y tamaños. Cuando llegamos a la iglesia, nos persignamos con una cruz; cuando salimos de casa, hacemos lo mismo; cuando vamos a hacer algo especial, nos signamos con la señal de la cruz; cuando recibimos la mayoría de los acramentos, nos hacen la señal de la cruz; cuando tenemos miedo o nos enfrentamos a alguna situación arriesgada, hacemos la señal de la cruz. La cruz es un símbolo que representa a Nuestro Señor Jesucristo y su amor infinito por nosotros, que le llevó a dar su vida por nuestra salvación.

Hoy, la Iglesia católica nos invita a celebrar la fiesta de la Exaltación de la Santa Cruz. Con esta festividad, conmemoramos dos aniversarios. En primer lugar, el emperador Constantino mandó construir en Jerusalén una iglesia redonda, la Anastasis (la Iglesia del Santo Sepulcro), sobre la tumba vacía de Jesús, así como una basílica, el Martyrium. En la plaza que hay entre las dos iglesias se encuentra el santuario del Calvario, que marca el lugar de la crucifixión de Jesús. Fue consagrado en el año 335 y posteriormente destruido por persas y musulmanes. El segundo aniversario es el descubrimiento de la cruz del Señor por parte de la emperatriz santa Elena en el año 320. Así pues, queridos hermanos y hermanas, hoy celebramos con esta fiesta la victoria de Jesús sobre la muerte, el precio que pagó por nuestra salvación y el triunfo de la resurrección sobre la muerte.

Por tanto, queridos hermanos y hermanas, hoy celebramos con esta fiesta la victoria de Jesús sobre la muerte, el precio que pagó por nuestra salvación y el triunfo de la resurrección sobre la muerte.

Antes de continuar, permítanme hacerles algunas preguntas: ¿qué ven cuando miran una cruz?, ¿quién ven en ella?, ¿cuando ven a Jesús clavado en la cruz, piensan que está muerto o vivo?, ¿tienen alguna cruz en su vida?

En la primera lectura, tomada del Libro de los Números, vemos a Moisés levantando una serpiente de bronce como remedio para quienes habían sido mordidos por una serpiente y castigados por murmurer contra Dios. En el Evangelio según san Juan, Jesús dijo: «Así como Moisés levantó la serpiente en el desierto, así debe ser levantado el Hijo del Hombre, para que todo el que crea en él tenga vida eterna» (Juan 3, 14-15).

Jesús se presentó a sí mismo como el remedio que el Padre envió para sanar y salvar a todos los seres humanos de este mundo. Queridos hermanos y hermanas, cuando miramos la cruz de Jesús, no solo vemos sus sufrimientos por nosotros, sino también su amor y la salvación que trajo a este mundo. Por eso, para los cristianos, la cruz es un signo de salvación y resurrección. Jesús es el Hijo de Dios, enviado por el Padre para salvarnos y no para condenarnos. Recordemos que, según Jesús, no podemos ser sus discípulos si no tomamos nuestra cruz y lo seguimos. Dos preguntas más para ustedes: ¿qué hacen con su cruz?, ¿la ven como una carga o como un signo de salvación?

Permítanme invitarles hoy a contemplar un crucifijo, a mirar fijamente a Jesús crucificado y hacerle esta pregunta: ¿por qué está allí crucificado? Él responderá: «Estoy aquí por ti, estoy aquí porque te amo y quiero llevarte a la vida eterna conmigo».

Luego, quiero que pienses en tus cruces, tus sufrimientos y tus luchas diarias; en aquello que estás intentando cambiar y no lo has logrado, y que escuches con atención estas palabras que Jesús te dirige desde la cruz: «Vengan a mí todos los que están cansados y agobiados, y yo les daré descanso. Carguen con mi yugo y aprendan de mí, que soy manso y humilde de corazón, y hallarán descanso. Porque mi yugo es suave y mi carga ligera». (Mt 11, 28-30).

Tómate un momento de silencio para disfrutar de estas palabras de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo y recorder su gran amor por ti. Él está a tu lado, listo para ayudarte a llevar tu cruz. No estás solo, él está contigo todo el tiempo. Amén.

P. Luis Segura M.S.C.

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EXALTATION OF THE CROSS 2025

Have you ever seen a cross? What do you think when you see a cross? Have you ever signed yourself with the cross? Dear brothers and sisters, let me tell you that the cross is one of the symbols we see in many places, that we use on many occasions and circumstances, and that we carry with us in different styles, colors, and sizes. When we arrive at church, we cross ourselves with a cross; when we leave home, we do the same; when we are about to do something special, we sign ourselves with the sign of the cross; when we receive most acraments, we make the sign of the cross; when we are afraid or face a risky situation, we make the sign of the cross. The cross is a symbol that represents Our Lord Jesus Christ and His infinite love for us, which led Him to give His life for our salvation.

Today, the Catholic Church invites us to celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. With this feast, we commemorate two anniversaries. First, Emperor Constantine ordered the construction of a round church, the Anastasis (the Church of the Holy Sepulchre), in Jerusalem over the empty tomb of Jesus, as well as a basilica, the Martyrium. In the square between the two churches is the shrine of Calvary, which marks the site of Jesus' crucifixion. It was consecrated in 335 and later destroyed by the Persians and Muslims. The second anniversary is the unveiling of the Lord's cross by Empress Saint Helena in 320. So, dear brothers and sisters, today with this feast we celebrate Jesus' victory over death, the price He paid for our salvation, and the triumph of the resurrection over death.

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, today with this feast we celebrate Jesus' victory over death, the price he paid for our salvation, and the triumph of the resurrection over death.

Before continuing, let me ask you a few questions: What do you see when you look at a cross? Who do you see on it? When you see Jesus nailed to the cross, do you think he is dead or alive? Do you have a cross in your life?

In the first reading, taken from the Book of Numbers, we see Moses lifting up a bronze serpent as a remedy for those who had been bitten by a snake and punished for murmuring against God. In the Gospel according to Saint John, Jesus said: "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" (John 3:14-15).

Jesus presented himself as the remedy the Father sent to heal and save all human beings in this world. Dear brothers and sisters, when we look at the cross of Jesus, we see not only his suffering for us, but also his love and the salvation he brought to this world. Therefore, for Christians, the cross is a sign of salvation and resurrection. Jesus is the Son of God, sent by the Father to save us, not to condemn us. Let us remember that, according to Jesus, we cannot be his disciples unless we take up our cross and follow him. Two more questions for you: What do you do with your cross? Do you see it as a burden or as a sign of salvation?

Let me invite you today to contemplate a crucifix, to look fixedly at Jesus crucified and ask him this question: Why is he crucified there? He will answer: "I am here for you, I am here because I love you and I want to take you to eternal life with me."

Then, I want you to think about your crosses, your sufferings, and your daily struggles; about what you are trying to change but have not been able to do, and listen carefully to these words that Jesus addresses to you from the cross: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Mt 11:28-30)

Take a moment of silence to enjoy these words from Our Lord Jesus Christ and remember His great love for you. He is at your side, ready to help you carry your cross. You are not alone; He is with you always. Amen.

Fr. Luis Segura M.S.C.

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The Exaltation of the Cross

Today we celebrate the exaltation of the cross of Christ, for on its wood Jesus took upon himself all our sin and the evil of our world, and vanquished them by his love. That is why we celebrate today’s Feast. The word of God that we have just heard tells us how, by contrasting serpents that bite with a serpent that saves. Let us reflect on these two images.

First, serpents that bite. These serpents attacked the people who had fallen once more into the sin of speaking against God. Such speaking against God was more than simply grumbling and complaining; on a deeper level, it was a sign that in their hearts the Israelites had lost their trust in him and his promises. It is no coincidence that, once the people no longer trusted in God, they were bitten by deadly serpents. We are reminded of the first serpent mentioned in the Bible, in the Book of Genesis: the tempter, who poisoned the hearts of Adam and Eve and made them doubt God. In other words, original sin returns: the Israelites doubt God; they do not trust him; they complain and they rebel against the one who gave them life, and so they meet their death. That is where distrustful hearts end up! Situations in our lives when, as individuals, as Church and as a society, we can be bitten by the serpent of distrust, poisoned by disillusionment and despair, pessimism and resignation, and caught up only with ourselves, lacking all enthusiasm.

And so, we come to the second image: the serpent that saves. As the people are dying from the fiery serpents, God hears Moses’ prayer of intercession and tells him: “Make a fiery serpent and put it on a pole. Then, as now, in the great spiritual battle that continues throughout history, God does not destroy the vile and worthless things that men and women choose to pursue. Poisonous serpents do not disappear; they are always there, lying in wait, ever ready to bite. What has changed then, what does God do?

Jesus tells us in the Gospel: “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” (Jn 3:14-15). This is the decisive shift: the serpent that saves has now come among us. Jesus, lifted up on the pole of the cross, does not allow the poisonous serpents that attack us to cause our death. Confronting our misery, God gives us a new horizon: if we keep our gaze fixed on Jesus, the sting of evil can no longer prevail over us, for on the cross he took upon himself the venom of sin and death, and crushed their destructive power. That was the Father’s response to the spread of evil in the world: he gave us Jesus, who drew near to us in a way we could never have imagined. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin” (2 Cor 5:21).

The path to our salvation, our rebirth and our resurrection is to behold the crucified Jesus. From the heights of the cross, we can view our life and the history of our peoples in a new way. For from the cross of Christ we learn love, not hatred; compassion, not indifference; forgiveness, not vengeance. The outstretched arms of Jesus are the embrace of tender love with which God wishes to embrace us. They show us the fraternal love that we are called to have for one another and for everyone. They show us the way, the Christian way. It is not the way of imposition and force, of power and status; it never brandishes the cross of Christ against our brothers and sisters for whom he gave his life! Jesus’ way, the way of salvation is different: it is the way of a humble gratuitous and universal love. We have been reborn from the pierced side of the crucified Jesus. May we be free of the poison of death (cf. Wis 1:14), and pray that by God’s grace we can become ever more fully Christian: joyful witnesses of new life, love and peace. [Synthesized from Pope Francis, Homilies, 14 IX 22]

Rev. Jos Rajesh Peter M.S.C

Exaltation of the Holy Cross

My friends, today we would ordinarily be celebrating the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time but because the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is on a Sunday, the Feast takes precedence. It’s interesting that last Sunday Jesus said:  “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”  And here we are today giving thanks to our Lord because by his Holy Cross, Jesus redeemed the world from the power of sin.

Today’s gospel reminds me of a homily given many years ago by Fr. Jim Goode at the Los Angeles Religion Education Congress.  In his homily, he asked the question, “Do we wear the Cross or do we carry the cross ?  Do we wear a cross as a piece of jewelry or decoration ?  Or do we carry the cross – our cross – as a symbol of aligning ourselves with the life and ministry of Jesus ?”

As we heard in our first reading, people were being bitten by serpents and many of them died.  So, God told Moses to make an image of a serpent and to hold it up so that those who were bitten could look at it and be healed.  So, Moses 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, they were healed.

The reason I was reminded of Fr. Goode’s homily is because of what happened to that bronze serpent years later.  As time went on, the people began to worship that bronze serpent.  They even burned incense to it.  We are told in the Second Book of Kings Chapter 18: 

Hezekiah destroyed that bronze serpent because people were worshipping it.  Hezekiah told the people:  “You are worshiping this idol instead of our God who instructed Moses to build it.  It was not the idol or icon that healed them.  It was God who healed them.  The bronze serpent was only a symbol to be used to help the people turn their thoughts to God.”

Jesus used that story from Second Kings to remind Nicodemus (and us) that when the serpent was lifted up; people looked at it; their thoughts turned to God and by the power of God they were healed.  Likewise, when we look at a cross, we turn our thoughts to Christ Jesus and through faith, we believe that we will have eternal life.  That is why we celebrate this Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, my friends.  We remember, not so much the cross itself but the meaning of the Holy Cross.

The second last sentence in today’s gospel might be one of the best known verses in our country.  We see it at football games, baseball games, etc.:

John 3:16.  “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.”

Also, the last sentence of our gospel today, gives us loving reassurance from Jesus:  “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” 

…That the world might be saved through him.  Not a nation.

• Not a people.

• Not just the good people – but all people.

• Not just the people who loved him – but all people.

• Not just the loveable people – but all people.

God so loved the world – this whole, big world and everyone in it……

My friends, the crux of today’s gospel reading and the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is God’s love for everyone, which of course, includes you and me…

It’s important to note that we were not saved by the Cross of Jesus but by His teachings that sent him to the cross.  There’s a big difference here.

It was His teachings that caused so much uproar with the religious leaders. 

It was His teachings they couldn’t deal with so they had him killed. 

It was His teachings that he believed in so much that he willing gave His life for….. 

So, my friends, we exalt the Holy Cross not because it’s a cross but because of what that cross represents for us.  When we look at the Cross we are reminded to carry our own cross, whatever it may be.  By following the teachings of Christ, we also live and convey His message of love.