Amos 8:4-7 | Psalm 113:1-2, 4-6, 7-8 | 1 Timothy 2:1-8 | Luke 16:1-13

Numbers 21:4b-9 | Psalm 78:1bc-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38 | Philippians 2:6-11 | John 3:13-17

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This day reminds us that the Cross, once a symbol of shame and death, has become for us the greatest sign of Christ’s victory over sin and death. In the old calendar, the Church actually kept two feasts: one on May 3, called the Invention of the Cross, remembering when St. Helena discovered the True Cross in Jerusalem, and later when it was returned by Emperor Heraclius after being taken away. Then on September 14, the Triumph of the Cross was celebrated, recalling the dedication of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre and honoring the Cross as the sign of Christ’s glory. After Vatican II, these were brought together into one Roodmas feast, which we now celebrate today—the Exaltation of the Cross. Our readings invite us to look at the Cross not as a defeat, but as the very heart of our faith: the place where Christ’s suffering becomes our healing, where His death brings us life, and where His love is revealed most fully.