Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Prepare for Mass – Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross – Today’s Readings

Ever since sin entered the world, sacrifice was offered up to God. These bloody sacrifices, though noble and pleasing to God were not sufficient to redeem us of our sins. In the true and everlasting sacrifice, God offered up his son as sacrifice. God himself who did not sin took on the burden of sin from all human beings all across time.

We are asked to unite ourselves into the supreme sacrifice.  We are to pickup or little crosses and offer them in reparation for our sins and the sins of the world.  Some crosses we face are a result of our own sin.  Other crosses come to us from sins of others.  Some crosses come to us from unknown sources.  As we look upon the cross in the great Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on 9/14, we can be assured that anything we will face has been conquered already.

When thinking about God dying on a cross for our sins, we understand that our God is much more powerful than us and that we are poor sinners desperately in need of redemption.  On our own we have no chance for redemption. 

Looked at more deeply this sign, which forces us to look at the dangerousness of man and all his heinous deeds, at the same time makes us look upon God, who is stronger, stronger in his weakness, and upon the fact that we are loved by God. It is in this sense a sign of forgiveness that also brings hope into the abysses of history… God is crucified and says to us that this God who is apparently so weak is the God who incomprehensibly forgives us and who in his seeming absence is stronger.
- Benedictus: Day by Day with Pope Benedict XVI

Triumph of the Cross – As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of man be lifted up.

Worthy is the Lamb
by Darlene Zschech

Thank you for the Cross

Everlasting – (John 3:16)
Written by Scott Johnson, sung by John Waller. The band is “According to John”.