Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Monday of the twenty-fourth week in ordinary time, September 14, 2026, Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Delivered by Madeline Meggie Kurniawan from Saint Peter's School Kelapa Gading, Jakarta Utara, in the Archdiocese of Jakarta, Indonesia. Numbers 21: 4-9; Rs psalm 78: 1-2.34-35.36-37.38; Philippians 2: 6-11; John 3: 13-17.RENEWED BY THE CROSS OF CHRIST The theme for our meditation today is: Renewed By theCross of Christ. Today the whole Church celebrates the feast of the Holy Cross.This feast began to be celebrated in Rome around the end of the 7thcentury to commemorate the discovery of the part of the cross of Jesus that waskept in Jerusalem under the Persian rule. Emperor Heraclius discovered it andbrought it from Jerusalem on May 3, 629. What does it mean to be renewed by the cross ofChrist? The Lord Jesus came to unite earth and heaven and then bring those onearth to His glory in heaven. He explained this to Nicodemus, one of the rabbisof the Jews, that He was the "Son of Man" sent by the Father inheaven to restore man's broken relationship with God. The Son of Man is theMessiah in the old testament who came from heaven to build a kingdom on earth. In contrast to the Jewish view, Jesus actually spokeabout the Son of Man being exalted. What does this mean? Jesus was associatedwith Moses who raised a bronze snake in the wilderness to heal those who werebitten by poisonous snakes. The people of Israel were punished for opposingGod. Moses raised the bronze snake on a stake that resembled the cross, fromwhich the people were to return to put their faith in God alone. This connection is to emphasize what Jesus wants toshow us, that through the His death on the cross, He really saved us. But whatJesus did was much greater and more powerful, because what Moses did was onlyto bring temporary results, namely healing of people from snake bites. WhatJesus did was that His death on the cross brought in true victory over sin, satanand death. By dying on the cross, Jesus took away our debt of sin, freed usfrom guilt and punishment. We have new life, a life in abundance in the HolySpirit forever. This renewal means that Jesus' death on the crossshows and teaches us an act of love, namely the total offering of Himself. Hedid this as an offering of His love to the Father and for our redemption. Thisrenewal also describes the resurrection as our experience of having gloriousbodies to enjoy everlasting life and sitting at the right hand of the Father tolive forever. Now He is in heaven to rule and guide our life that stillcontinues here on earth. Our lives here and now are truly blessed by the triumphof the cross of Christ. Let'spray. In the name of the Father ... O Lord Jesus Christ, may our lives asindividuals and a people in Your Kingdom be always illuminated and strengthenedby the mystery of Your holy cross which is a glorious victory for us. Glory tothe Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father...