C Cycle – Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross 25

Jn. 3:17-17

Believing in something we have no control over is something we do every day.  We book flights believing we will arrive safely.  We book vacations, make doctors appointments, and book pilgrimages six to twelve months in advance believing nothing will prevent us from attending.  We live believing in positive outcomes knowing doubt has a way of creating anxiety, worry and robbing us of joy.  But when it comes to faith, believing is something we profess but at the same time we are too comfortable about it to act on that belief.  We are in many ways too casual about our belief.  Do we believe Christ died for our sins? Of course, we do, and we profess that belief each Sunday. 

Yet we week we rattle off our profession of faith without allowing those words to come from our inner core. Meaning we fully understand why God sent Jesus to die for the penalty of our sins. We hear our brothers and sisters who worship in other faith traditions talk about Jesus dying for their sins and we respond by denigrating whit they by declaring it as too easy.  While at the same time it can be said we have failed to appropriate the grace of the cross and allow that grace to change how we view the cross. It has become a symbol of belief and a means to proclaim we are believers in Jesus Christ.

But there are many individuals who wear the cross and they have no belief in Christ.  Entertainers, musicians in particular wear large, prominent crosses and live lifestyles that are anti-Christian.  We have become too comfortable with what we profess to believe. We have been held in check by outside forces which allow us to wear a cross if we live within the world’s parameters of acceptability. Meaning do not rock the boat by bringing attention to their unbelief.  Meaning, we never challenge their lifestyle, immoral choices and their distain for people who believe.

Living our faith was never meant to be comfortable?  Imagine for a minute you are one of the followers of Jesus.  They all fled when Jesus was arrested and only John was there at the foot of the cross.  Peter had denied Him, and he too was no where to be seen during his passion and death.  They remained confused, and uncertain even after he appeared to them and breathed the Spirit upon them.  Then Pentecost happened and Peter leaves the protection of the upper room and boldly proclaims Jesus as the Messiah and that he was alive. Do you think that was comfortable for hm?

The answer is simple yes, it was because he absolutely had an infusion of grace, and nothing could stop him from proclaiming the faith.  He died proclaiming that faith and the difference from his fleeing Jesus in shame to clinging to Jesus for strength was his belief in what the cross achieved for all of us. Prior to Pentecost Peter had been challenges by Jesus to act on his belief.  There were times he failed as he did when challenged to fee five thousand.  At that moment, he was focus as we are focused on his ability, his resources, and the obstacles to achieving what Jesus was demanding of him.   

He looked inward not upward and all he saw was the obstacles. But Jesus gently said to hm and the rest of the disciples; “what do you have.”   Those words, provide us with all we need to believe and begin to live our faith within our Catholic tradition to believe in what the cross achieved for us. Notice the question is not what we need or what do we lack but what do we have.  He is inviting us to give Him what we have so He can multiply it within us. The problem is we see our deficiencies.  We all have a desire to do God’s will.  Jesus knows it all begins with us desiring the more God can give us.  He wants to multiply that desire.  “Give it to me.”  He said and allow Him to multiply it to feed thousands.  

Exalt, the Cross.  Look at it, stare at it and discover it is more than a symbol of our faith. It is God declaring you are loved by Him. Stating His love has triumphed over all evil that has thrown at us.  It tis not a fixed picture but it is more like a diamond radiating and grabbing our attention. Causing within us wonder and awe, propelling us to declare its glory.  A diamond forged under pressure s are. Instead of trying to avoid that pressure let us like Peter, go out into the world declare Christ as the answer to all we seek.  The cross declares our worth as sons and daughters and declares our victory over our sins.  Forgiveness demands that we do more than seek comfortable faith.  It demands we allow ourselves to be challenged and become disciples.

Following Jesus demands we like Peter to say, “If it is really you” let me do the impossible.  Let me walk where I could easily sink if I take my eyes off Your presence. Let me speak words of inspiration that move others to desire what you offer.  Let me speak Your name in places where it is denied and let me never believe you would never abandon me.   Let me look at the cross and hear those words “if I am lifted, I will draw all to me.  Let me always be challenged to desire more, to say more, to give more, to love more and to proclaim God is in our land because Christ has redeemed the world.