Daily Gospel Reflection
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September 14, 2022
Jesus said to Nicodemus:
“No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.
And 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.”
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.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
“Big Ben 5:15.” We all checked our imaginary wristwatches as we chuckled at the graffiti chalked on a wall across from the Palace of Westminster in London. An obvious play on words from the most recognizable citation in the gospel, John 3:16, and a light-hearted reminder of God’s unbounded love for all of us.
Years after our family vacation in London, our son had the opportunity to study abroad there for a summer of engineering classes. It was a great experience of the local culture with a group of Notre Dame classmates, including our future daughter-in-law. We still recall the words of John 3:16 when we talk about the places they went and the people they met.
In today’s gospel, God’s love for us is described as the parental love for children. And as a parent, it resonates—the bond I share with my son helps me to reflect deeply on God’s all-encompassing love.
A highlight of my day is a text from our son pinging, “Hey Dad, may I call?” or “Are you and Mom free for a FaceTime call with us Sunday afternoon?” We chat about the work week and weekend plans, even which Saturday Vigil or Sunday Mass to attend. Our love is manifest in these simple connections and seemingly mundane conversations.
This fall, whether you are on campus or watching Notre Dame football at a game watch, crack a smile at the sight of a “John 3:16” sign in the crowd. Remember the prankster who reminded us that “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.”
It is a fitting resolution today on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Go Irish!
Prayer
Lord Jesus, we confess that we have done many things that we are ashamed of, which we would prefer be kept hidden in the dark. Yet we also need to remember that no sin of ours is greater than your love for us. So please grant us the courage to stop hiding and come out into the light of your forgiveness and mercy. Amen.
Saint of the Day
For centuries, the Church has gathered on this date to venerate the cross upon which Jesus died.
On this date in 320, during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, St. Helen discovered the site where local Christians believed Jesus was crucified. Underneath this site of a pagan temple, she found three buried crosses—Jesus’ own, and the crosses of the two thieves executed beside him. How did Helen identify which cross was the one on which Jesus died? A sick woman was told to kiss each cross, and when she kissed the third cross, she was healed.
Helen also discovered the inscription that was placed on the cross above Jesus’ head and the nails that pierced his hands and feet. When she was certain she had found the true cross, it was lifted up for all to see and the gathered people responded in acclamation of praise.
The date of this discovery was remembered and used to dedicate churches that were later built over the places of Jesus’ death and burial. Pieces of the true cross were kept in a silver reliquary box in the church that was built over Jesus’ tomb. Early authors all agree that the relics were comprised of pieces of the true cross; the cross was not preserved in its entirety.
In the centuries that followed, conflicts overran the Holy Land multiple times, and invading forces claimed the relics as a prize. When Emperor Heraclius recovered the pieces of the cross in 629 after one incursion, he gathered the people on this date for a solemn liturgy to venerate the relics. When the pieces were lifted up for veneration, many sick were miraculously cured.
The feast of the Exaltation of the Cross is one of the great feast days of the Orthodox Church. Pieces of the true cross are part of the reliquary collection in the Basilica, and brought out for veneration, especially on Good Friday. The reliquary also holds a piece of the rock of Calvary, where Jesus was crucified, as well as pieces of his tomb.
Learn more about Golgotha, and why they called it the "place of the skull" in our virtual pilgrimage to the Holy Land, where you can make an online visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, the ancient church built over the place of the crucifixion and Jesus' tomb, where Helen visited over a thousand years ago.
On this feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, let us remember Jesus’ suffering and death and look to the cross for healing and life!