Lift High the Cross

This title is also the name of a beautiful song that is sung during this time of the year. Of course, it is one that we can sing at any time because our focus is to always be on the cross of the Christ. That lifting up is part of our readings for this day, Old Testament and Gospel. The Old Testament reading is from Numbers 21:4-9and it focuses on the Israelite people who were complaining against God and Moses because they were out in the desert with no food or water. In punishment the Lord sent saraph serpents to bite the people. Eventually they relented and asked Moses to ask the Lord to take the serpents away. God's instruction to Moses was, "Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and whoever looks at it after being bitten will live." The gospel reading, John 8:21-30, has Jesus telling the Pharisees, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM, and that I do nothing on my own, but I say only what the Father taught me." Jesus is talking about being lifted up on the wood of the cross. The cross is the tree of life! When we look at the cross we truly know how much God loves us because He sent His only Son to die for our sins and through his resurrection we have new life. Elsewhere in the gospels, Jesus tells us that if we wish to be his disciples, we must pick up our cross and follow him. Our Lord will give us the grace, strength, perseverance, and patience that we need to carry our crosses. Let us lift high the cross for in doing so we gain new life! God Bless You!!!