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Reflections
for Sunday, September 14, 2008
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross: The Power of Love The popular expression that begins with: I'd do anything for usually is not meant too seriously. The expression is far closer to reality when you have children. People will do anything for their children: they love them so much. The way you feel about your children gives us a just a faint idea of how God feels about us. He'd do anything for us. And he did. God gave his son to us as a Complete Gift. He was completely ours to treasure, to find the Father through, or, sadly, to ignore and even to put to death. And human beings did put Jesus to death in the most horrible way possible, execution through crucifixion. Today we celebrate this special feast, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The Son joined the Father's love in doing anything for us. The feast is the exaltation of the cross because it is a demand that we recognize that this symbol of death and misery has become one of life and victory. Jesus' death on the cross restored our capacity to have eternal life. The power of the Cross destroyed death, and love destroyed hate. We should never wear a cross as a piece of jewelry, but as a symbol of love. Jesus is love and love alone defeats hatred and, ultimately death. We should wear the cross as a statement to ourselves and to others. The statement is simple: this is how much God loved the world.
Readings of the day:
First Reading:
Second Reading:
Gospel:
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