Triumph of the Holy Cross – Sep 14 – Homily – Fr John Lawrence

 

Fr John Lawrence gives the homily at Bloomington, IN, on Sep 14, 2023, the feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross, reflecting on the transformative power of Christ's crucifixion to turn humiliation into glory, the importance of aligning with God's will, embracing our own crosses to find love and eternal life, honor the saints, and understand the true meaning of suffering.

On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, we remember how Our Lord was lifted up on the cross, which is the glory of Christ and Christians. Through the ancient Romans, the cross was the most humiliating and dehumanizing mode of execution, a complete loss of self-determination. To crucify Jesus, the Jewish leaders wanted not just His death, but the destruction of His person. Yet, this fulfilled God's plan, leading to Christ's eternal glory.

Christ's power lay in His acceptance of the cross as God's will, making it His own, not in self-determination for evil. Man's dignity is in aligning with God's will, not self-determination for evil. The cross, where Christ was humiliated, reveals His sinlessness and His love for us. It foreshadows God's love when the serpent on a pole brought healing in the desert.

The cross brings life to those who recognize Christ's love, inspiring love for Him and repentance for sins. It teaches not to cast aside our own crosses. Christ's crucifixion, seen as a stumbling block and folly, converted the world. Christians exalt the cross because it's our glory, as St. Paul stated.

We also bear our personal crosses to show our love for Christ and atone for our sins. Saints are honored for the crosses they bore. Our crosses help obtain graces for sinners. Euthanasia, claiming extreme suffering destroys dignity, contradicts Christ and the saints' examples. In suffering, they attained glory.

00:00 - Introduction
00:29 - The cross was a humiliating Roman execution
01:30 - The Jews asked for Jesus to be crucified
02:22 - Jesus embraced the cross as God's will
03:15 - Christ stripped on the cross as the new Adam
04:09 - The cross gives life to those who look on it
05:00 - The cross draws all people to Christ
05:46 - We must carry our crosses and find glory in them
06:20 - Extreme suffering does not destroy dignity

Ave Maria!

Mass: Triumph of the Holy Cross - Feast - http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04529a.htm
Readings:  - http://usccb.org/bible/readings/091423.cfm
1st: num 21:4-9
Resp: psa 78:1-2, 34-38
Gsp: joh 3:13-17

More on the Readings: https://airmaria.com/r?m=1153

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