Posted on 09/14/2016 6:57:41 AM PDT by Salvation
The readings for Wednesday’s Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross provide rich teachings. Let’s look at five themes, each in turn.
I. The Pattern of the Cross – One of the stranger passages in the Old Testamentis the one describing a command Moses received from God to mount a bronze snake on a pole.
The people had grumbled against God and Moses because of the “wretched” manna they had to consume (Numbers 21:5). Even though it was the miracle food, the bread from Heaven that had sustained them in the desert, they were sick of its blandness. (Pay attention, Catholics who treat the Eucharist lightly or find it boring!) God grew angry and sent venomous snakes among them, causing many to die (Numbers 21:6). The people then repented. and, in order to bring healing to them, God commanded a strange and remarkable thing: Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live (Numbers 21:8).
What about no graven images? It was God Himself who had said earlier in the Ten Commandments, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth (Ex 20:4). Yet here He commands that a graven image be made.
Why does God do this? That is covered in the next section.
II. The Palliative Cross – When Moses made a snake of bronze and showed it to the people, those who looked at it became well (Numbers 21:9).
In a way, it is almost as if God were saying to Moses, “In rejecting the Bread from Heaven, the people have chosen Satan and what he offers. They have rejected me. Let them look into the depth of their sin and face their choice and the fears it has set loose. Let them look upon a serpent. Having looked, let them repent and be healed; let their fear of what the serpent can do depart.”
In today’s Gospel, Jesus takes up the theme and fulfills it, saying, 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 (John 3:14). It is almost as if he is saying, “Let the people face their sin and see its ugly reality: what it does to me, to them, and to others. Let them face their choice and seek healing repentance. Let them also see the outstretched arms of God’s mercy and find peace.”
There is something about facing our sins, shortcomings, anxieties, and fears. There is something about looking them in the face in order to find healing. One of the glories of the Catholic faith is that it has never hidden the cross; it has never run from it. There have been brief times when, shamefully, we de-emphasized it. But throughout most of our history, the crucifix has been prominently, proudly, and fearlessly displayed in our churches. We cling to it and glory in it.
Do you know how shocking this is? Imagine that you were to walk into a church and instead of seeing a crucifix you saw Jesus dangling from a gallows, a rope around His neck. Crucifixion was the form of execution reserved for the worst of criminals. It was shocking, horrifying, and emblematic of the worse kind of suffering. When the Romans saw or thought of something awful they would cry out in Latin, “Ex cruce!” (From the cross!), for they could think of nothing more horrible to which to compare something. This is the origin of the English word “excruciating.” Crucifixion is brutal—an awful, slow, ignoble, and humiliating death: ex cruce!
But there it is, front and center in just about every Catholic church. There it is, at the head of our processions. There it is, displayed in our homes. We are bid to look upon it daily. Displayed there is everything we most fear: suffering, torment, loss, humiliation, nakedness, hatred, scorn, mockery, ridicule, rejection, and death. The Lord and the Church say, “Look! Don’t turn away. Don’t hide this. Behold!” Face the crucifix and all that it means. Stare into the face of your worst fears; confront them and begin to experience healing. Do not fear the worst that the world and the devil can do, for Christ has triumphed overwhelmingly. He has cast off death like a garment and said to us, In this world ye shall have tribulation. But have courage! I have overcome the world (Jn 16:33).
III. The Paradox of the Cross – In a world dominated by power and its aggressive use, the humility and powerlessness of the cross accomplishing anything but defeat both surprises and upsets the normal worldly order.
At the heart of today’s second reading is the declaration that Christ humbled Himself and became obedient unto death—death on the cross. But far from ending His work, it exalted Him and brought Him victory. To the world this is absurdity, but to us who are being saved it is the wisdom and power of God. Consider that darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hatred cannot drive out hatred; only love can do that. And pride cannot drive out pride; only humility can do that. At the heart of Original Sin and every personal sin is the prideful notion that we know better than God. Satan’s fundamental flaw is his colossal pride; he considers himself equal to God. He is narcissistic, egotistical, and prideful.
The solution to conquering pride is not to have greater pride, but rather to manifest humility, as Jesus did. And while Satan disobeyed God, Jesus humbly obeyed His Father. He did not cling to His divine prerogatives, but rather laid them aside, taking up the form of a slave and being seen as a mere human being. It was in this way that He humbled Himself and obeyed, even unto the cross. Jesus was seen as the lowest of human beings, accepting a death reserved for the worst of criminals and sinners, even though He Himself was sinless and divine.
So astonishing is Jesus’ humility, that it literally undoes Satan’s pride and the collective pride of all of us. It is the great paradox of the cross that humility conquers pride, that God’s “weakness” conquers human power and aggression, that love conquers hate, and that light dispels darkness.
It is the great paradox of the cross that makes a public spectacle of every human and worldly presumption.
IV. The Power of the Cross – The Gospel today announces the great power of the cross: So must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.Thus Jesus, the Son of Man, when He was lifted up from the earth, called to the heart of every human person. And those who believe in Him and look to Him are saved from their sins and snatched from the hands of the devil. The power of the cross is the power to save.
Not only are we saved from the effects of our sins, we are empowered to live a whole new life. The text says that God does this so that we might not perish but have eternal life. The word eternal does not refer simply to the length of life, but also to its fullness. By the power of the cross, we are given the gift to live a completely new life, transformed increasingly into the very holiness, freedom, joy, and blessedness of the life of Christ. In dying to this old life with Him in Baptism, we rise to the new life that He offers: a life increasingly set free from sin, a life transformed from vice to virtue, from sorrow to joy, from despair to hope, and from futility to meaningfulness and victory. Thus the power of the cross is manifest as the power of the tree of life.
V. The Passion of the Cross –Why all this? Why this undeserved gift? In a word, love. “For God so loved the world …” Yes, God loves the world. Despite our rebellion, our unbelief, our scoffing, and our murderous hatred, God goes on loving us. He sent His Son to manifest His love and to obey Him within the capacity of His humanity. Cassian says that we are saved by the human decision of a divine person. Jesus loved His Father and us too much to ever say no to Him. And the Father loves us too much to have ever withheld the gift of His Son from us, even though Jesus is His only begotten Son, the greatest gift He could ever offer. In His love, God does not withhold this gift, but offers Him.
Why do you exist? Why is there anything at all? How are you saved? God so loved the world, God so loved you. God is love. And God, who loves us, proclaims the truth to us and invites us to accept His truth. He does not force His love upon us, but invites us and gives us every grace to turn and come to Him. Why does He care? Why does He not simply force us to obey? Because God is love and love invites; it does not force. Love respects the will of the beloved and seeks only the free response of love in return.
The cross—nothing is more provocative. Nothing is more paradoxical. Nothing is greater proof of God’s love for us and of His desire to do whatever it takes to procure our yes to His truth, His way, and His love. Run to the cross and meet the Lord, who loves you more than you can imagine and more than you deserve. Run to Him now, because He loves you.
Monsignor Pope Ping!
“In a way, it is almost as if God were saying to Moses, “In rejecting the Bread from Heaven, the people have chosen Satan and what he offers. They have rejected me. Let them look into the depth of their sin and face their choice and the fears it has set loose. Let them look upon a serpent. Having looked, let them repent and be healed; let their fear of what the serpent can do depart.”’
Likewise, maybe those that reject the Bread from Jesus that becomes His Body and Blood will begin to understand that they reject Jesus and the opportunity for eternal life with Him.
Powerful and moving. Thank you.
**Likewise, maybe those that reject the Bread from Jesus that becomes His Body and Blood will begin to understand that they reject Jesus and the opportunity for eternal life with Him.**
Amen!
Exaltation of the Glorious Cross - September 14
We All Praise the Tree that should be Worshipped -- Feast of the Elevation of the Most Holy and Life-Giving Cross
Exultation/Triumph of the Holy Cross
The Elevation of the Venerable and Life-Giving Cross
The Feast of the Holy Cross (Fr. Elfeghali's report)
Catholic, Crusader, Leper and King: The Life of Baldwin IV and the Triumph of the Cross
HOMILIES PREACHED BY FATHER ALTIER ON THE FEAST OF THE TRIUMPH OF THE HOLY CROSS
Orthodox Feast of The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, September 14
Triumph of the Cross - September 14th
Feast of The Exaltation of The Holy Cross - September 14
Um. No.
What we are rejecting is Rome's interpretation of Jesus' analogy of the bread and wine to His body and blood.
Christ dwells in our hearts through faith, not in our digestive tract through ingestion.
It's what's in our hearts that defiles us and what we eat passes though the stomach and out of the body and cannot either make a man clean or unclean.
What happens to the body does not cleanse the heart.
To as many as receive Him, he gives the right to become children of God.
As an aside, Msgr Pope is off the mark here. It's not the CROSS that is lifted up that gives us life but JESUS. Jesus said *If ***I*** be lifted up.....*
YES!
CATHOLIC ALMANAC
Wednesday, September 14
Liturgical Color: Red
Today is the Feast of the
Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
“For the message of the Cross
is foolishness to those who are
perishing, but to us who are
being saved it is the power of
God.” (1 Cor. 1:18)
Your comment:”What we are rejecting is Rome’s interpretation of Jesus’ analogy of the bread and wine to His body and blood.”
You are rejecting the actual words and meaning that was given to all by Jesus (repeated emphatically throughout the Gospel) and are trying to blame the Catholic Church.
Many heretics have not accepted the teachings of Jesus and the Catholic Church, but despite what they say. They are not the universal church and they reject Jesus.
The Church Is One (Rom. 12:5, 1 Cor. 10:17, 12:13, CCC 813–822)
Jesus established only one Church, not a collection of differing churches (Lutheran, Baptist, Anglican, and so on). The Bible says the Church is the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:23–32). Jesus can have but one spouse, and his spouse is the Catholic Church.
His Church also teaches just one set of doctrines, which must be the same as those taught by the apostles (Jude 3). This is the unity of belief to which Scripture calls us (Phil. 1:27, 2:2).
Although some Catholics dissent from officially-taught doctrines, the Church’s official teachers—the pope and the bishops united with him—have never changed any doctrine. Over the centuries, as doctrines are examined more fully, the Church comes to understand them more deeply (John 16:12–13), but it never understands them to mean the opposite of what they once meant.
I do hope you find the Truth.
John is very clear in his writings that it is about faith/belief in Jesus is what saves us.
12But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1: 12-13 NASB
16“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17“For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18“He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20“For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21“But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” John 3: 16-21 NASB
36“He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” v 24“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. John 5:24 NASB
41Many more believed because of His word; 42and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.” John 4:41-41 NASB
35Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. 36“But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. 37“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. 38“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39“This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. 40“For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” John 6:35-40 NASB
The answer, of course, is that I WOULD, so I do. I forgo Saturdays because there is no morning Mass. The only Mass is at 5:00 P.M., for the next-day Sunday.
I wish you wouldn't put wrong words into my mouth. I have never rejected any of Jesus' words and I resent your telling me that I do.
Shame on you.
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Boy, I wish we still had the scroll ability. Ah me.
I was just responding to metmom comments and just copying you and salvation because you had also commented YES. Sorry if you misunderstood.
Many others that comment here do not believe in the Real Presence in Body and Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist.
Peace be with you.
Your comment: “All of these statements were made prior to your claim that we have to literally eat His flesh and drink His blood. “
Again, you like to pick and choose and ignore the specific words of Jesus. None of these quotes challenges the Truth of eating the Body and Blood of Jesus. You fail to quote the rest of the words of Jesus; John 6; 41-59.
God provides you with free will to choose what you accept and believe. Yes Jesus clearly states that one needs to eat His Body and Blood in the Eucharist for eternal life.
The fact that you vigorously object to the specific words of Jesus indicates to me that you may have doubts.
Many choose to not believe the words of Jesus and believe what they want to believe. I don’t want to argue with you - just correct your false impressions of God’s words.
John 6: 53-59
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.
54Whoever eats* my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.
55For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
56Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.
57Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.b
58This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”
59These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
The people in Samaria believed Him as He told them to.
Later in Acts, we do not see Peter telling Cornelius you have to eat and drink the flesh to be saved.
44While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. 45All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, 47“Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” 48And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days. Acts 10:44-48
60Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?”
61But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble?
62“What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before?
63“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.
64“But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him.
65And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”
66As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.
67So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?”
68Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.
69“We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”
70Jesus answered them, “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?”
71Now He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him.
Notice Peter's reply....we have believed.
It's how one comes to Christ....believe in Him.
THANKS for explaining.
PAX TIBI.
You can twist the words and spin the meaning, but you can’t change the words of Jesus.
Again, you try to change the subject by quoting other parts of the Bible.
You can either accept or deny the teachings and the gifts of Jesus as He gave us His Body and Blood for our salvation in the Mass.
It seems to me that you may be struggling with doubts or guilt about accepting the words of Jesus. At the Last Supper he took bread and wine and said, “Take and eat. This is my body . . . This is my blood which will be shed for you” (Mark 14:22–24). In this way Jesus instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist, the sacrificial meal Catholics consume at each Mass.
Accept the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.
If you read the accounts of the Lords Supper you will see He says "do this in remembrance of Me". It's not to attain salvation or to restore salvation as the cathokic believes.
.
Your comment: “The problem with the mass is that it’s a resacrifice of Christ over and over again.”
Again, some put their own spin on he words of Jesus. Jesus created the Mass at the Last Supper with the Sacrament of the Eucharist, His Body and Blood and told us to do this in his memory.
The Catholic Church teaches that the sacrifice of Christ on the cross occurred “once for all”; it cannot be repeated (Heb. 9:28). Christ does not “die again” during Mass, but the very same sacrifice that occurred on Calvary is made present on the altar. That’s why the Mass is not “another” sacrifice, but a participation in the same, once-for-all sacrifice of Christ on the cross.
You seem to want to make up your own understanding of the words of Jesus instead of accepting what Jesus told us.
The Truth will lead us all to salvation with the Lord.
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