September 14, 2024 Daily Dose of Discernment

“As Moses lifted up the serpent on a pole in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in Him.” (John 3:14)

We celebrate the Feast of the Holy Cross today. It emphasizes the transformation of a stigma of criminal culpability and a brutal instrument of torture into a tree of life for the healing of the nations. How about seeing the crucifixion as a glorious mystery instead of a sorrowful one? A symbol of victory rather than victimization.

The cross means dying for our enemies as opposed to killing them as Jesus demonstrates. The Christian faith involves denying ourselves, taking up our own cross and following our Lord. That doesn't lead to eternal life; it is eternal life, because it is the very way the Author of life lives.