Daily Gospel Reflection
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September 14, 2026
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.
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. The full readings of the day from the Lectionary are available here.
A sister gets diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. A 30-year friendship falls apart. Something told in confidence gets spread. A leadership opportunity is given to someone else. I could go on and on about the crosses I’ve encountered over the years. Sometimes it seems so easy to sit at the foot of the cross and just weep. However, our faith tells us our crosses are not the end of the story. In fact, they become the opportunities for us to connect deeply with God. What appears to be defeat in our lives becomes the place where love is revealed most completely. The cross presents profound opportunities for transformation.
As I experienced these moments of darkness and pain, it was important that I leaned into my prayer life. Who understood better what I was going through than Jesus? I look at how Jesus responded to the cross. He responded to his suffering with love, forgiveness, and complete trust in his Father. I ask myself, “How can I do the same? What is Jesus inviting me to become through this? How can my crosses be doorways of transformation?”
As a campus minister, I often accompany students who are feeling burdened by the crosses in their lives. I keep copies of Holy Cross Constitution 8 nearby. I pray part of it with them before handing them a copy. May this be a source of hope for you today and any cross you are bearing: “There is no failure the Lord’s love cannot reverse, no humiliation He cannot exchange for blessing, no anger He cannot dissolve, no routine He cannot transfigure. All is swallowed up in victory. He has nothing but gifts to offer. It remains only for us to find how even the cross can be borne as a gift.”
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.
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!