Every Sunday, Bishop Edward Malesic writes a Scripture reflection for the faithful. Follow the bishop on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Today is a special day for me. The Feast of the Exultation of the Holy Cross is the anniversary of my installation as the Bishop of Cleveland. I was installed on September 14, 2020, which was a time when we were still struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic. That was certainly a heavy cross we had to carry!
We thank God that difficult time has passed. But problems remain: wars abroad, divisions at home, personal tragedies and illness, etc. Each of us can point to one or more crosses in our own lives.
This is a portion of what I said about the Feast of the Exultation of the Cross in my installation homily five years ago:
“This feast reminds us of just how central the cross is to our lives as Christians. The cross is more than a decoration on our walls or jewelry around our necks. In the cross, Jesus teaches us how to face our challenges with courage and hope. And, boy, do we have challenges these days! Jesus says to us, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”
“In other words, we cannot ignore our challenges. No, we must face our challenges, admit them, carry them, but always with our eyes focused on Jesus, the man we follow, the God we follow who suffered for us and still suffers with us. He will lead us forward in our struggles. If we walk in his footsteps we will always move from death to life. That is the direction of Jesus, that is the direction of his Church, that is the direction for all of us who believe in him and who follow him, from death to life.
“We must also help each other carry our crosses. We must help each other bear the burdens of this life, like Simon of Cyrene, who helped our Lord bear his cross on the way to Calvary. We are stronger when we work together than when we work separately…
“Remember how our first reading began, ‘With their patience worn out by the journey…’ The Israelites were getting tired along the way. Sometimes we get tired too. Sometimes the people of the Church get tired. But now is not the time to give up. Now is the time to get up. Now is not the time to be silent. Now is the time to speak up. Now is the time to go out into the world and proclaim that Jesus, God’s only Son, humbled himself to become one of us and was obedient to God even unto death, death on a cross. God loved us enough to send us his son, who died for us. But God exalted him by raising him up and giving him the name that is above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bend, and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
“Let’s be witnesses to this truth. Let’s all be witnesses to the love of God. Let’s be witnesses to Jesus, our savior. Let’s be witnesses to the power of his cross in our lives. Let’s be people who serve the Lord with gladness.
“We adore you O Christ, and we praise you. Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world. Amen.”
May God bless you and those you love.