Daily Gospel Reflection
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September 14, 2023
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.
Thanks to sports fans who promote it through hand-lettered signs, John 3:16 may be the best-known Scripture verse in the U.S. (quarterback Tim Tebow even famously etched the citation in his eye black.) It’s understandable why these words of Jesus are so attractive since they speak of God’s love and the promise of everlasting life.
But this passage—and its use by evangelical Christians who insist on a born-again experience to ensure being saved—also raises some difficult questions about who will have eternal life and who might not. It can be especially troubling for those with family members or friends who are not Christians or who are not currently practicing the faith.
I was intrigued by the curious results from a recent Gallup poll that found that 74% of Americans believe in God, but only 59% believe in hell. Although the Catholic Church does not teach “universal salvation” (that all souls are ultimately reconciled with God), our catechism does emphasize “the great mercy of God who desires that all men [sic] should be saved” (#1261).
Some Christians seem more focused on the afterlife than on this one, yet Jesus spent a lot of time talking about the need for mercy, justice, and compassion on this earth. In fact, another Scripture passage about the final judgment is clear: “Just as you did it to the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40)
Jesus tells us, “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” How might we all help bring Jesus’ saving mercy and compassion to our world today?
Prayer
Loving God, help us to understand that those we call enemy are also members of your body and blood. Help us to see clearly that they are the ones we need to allow into our hearts that we might be converted to seeing as you see and loving as you love. We ask your blessing on those who oppose and offend us, that their hearts might also reflect your radiant love. 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!