Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
September 14, 2023
Daily Reading from the USCCB: John 3:13-17
Today is the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. It commemorates the finding of the relics of the cross by St. Helen. Today the Church invites its members to recall that the cross is the symbol of Christ’s faithfulness–his victory over suffering and death.
In the Gospel reading, Jesus tells Nicodemus that he–the Son of Man–would be lifted up on the cross as a sign of life, just as Moses had lifted up the statue of the serpent in the desert as a sign of God’s power to save his people.
The suffering of Jesus is the source of salvation. The cross is not just a symbol of death, but also of faithfulness and victory. That’s what the Church celebrates today.
