Homily: Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross
Number 21:4-9 / Philippians 2:6-11 / John 3:13-17
14 September 2025
Fr. Ricky Cañet Montañez, AA
Do you remember a time when you felt really sick? Maybe it was a horrible stomach upset or a terrible migraine, or maybe just a simple toothache? Did you tell yourself, “Itutulog ko na lang!” or “I will just sleep it off!”? Of course not! We look for some kind of relief — immediately, if possible. We resort to traditional home remedies or seek a doctor to prescribe medicines. We do not just sit and suffer; we long to be healed!
In our First Reading, the Israelites were whining with ingratitude, such that God had sent serpents as punishment for their sins and disobedience. Many had died from the bites of these poisonous serpents before they realised their mistake. Repenting of their ways, they asked Moses to pray to God to take the serpents away. God relented and gave a rather strange solution — He asked Moses to make a bronze serpent and lift it up on a pole so that the afflicted who looked up at it would live. They did not have to do anything extraordinary — just look, and healing would come.
In the Gospel, Jesus connects this story to Himself: “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 3:14-15) This is a prefiguring of His own crucifixion where His battered body would be lifted up on a cross for all to see. It is by gazing upon the cross and believing in the crucified Christ who rose from the dead that we gain salvation. The Cross, then, becomes our place of healing, not only for the wounds of the body, but more deeply for the wounds of the soul. St. Paul, in the Second Reading, tells us that Jesus humbled Himself, accepting death on the Cross. (Philippians 2:8) That very act of humility is what brought Him glory, and through it, He brought us healing.
In truth, we carry many kinds of brokenness. Sometimes we cannot break away from a cycle of sin. We have addictions to unforgiveness and regretful behaviors that create division in our families. At times, by no fault of ours we are subjected to sickness, poverty, injustice and all kinds of suffering that not only harm us physically, but also, financially, emotionally and psychologically. Sometimes, like the Israelites bitten by seraphs, we are poisoned by the corruption in society, by lies we hear daily, by hatred and indifference. All afflict us and break us, and push us to find relief and healing.
Jesus invites us to look to Him lifted up on the Cross. The Cross reminds us that no wound is too deep for God’s mercy, no suffering too heavy for His love. For the Catholic Church, the 14th September is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. We exalt the Cross because it is no longer a symbol of shame and death for us. When we gaze at the Cross, more than being reminded of a gruesome historic event that saved us, we are reminded that with eyes of faith we continue to receive healing in the present. Every Mass, when the Cross is lifted up, we are invited to bring our brokenness there — all our sins, our hurts, our fears, trusting that our Lord who stretched out His arms on it for love of us, sees our affliction and brings healing — for our own lives, for our families, and for our world.
Brothers and sisters, the promise is sure: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16) The Cross is not just a story of suffering. It is the greatest sign of God’s love, where our wounds meet His mercy, and our brokenness is transformed into life.
Sunday Gospel Reflections 