The Catholic Calendar for Thursday, September 14, 2006
Thursday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Numbers 21:4b-9
Psalm 78:1bc-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38
Philippians 2:6-11
John 3:13-17

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

Life is like looking through a prism. Sometimes things look one way, and at another time, at a different age, things appear another way. Reading scripture is much the same.

Today we turn our attention to the beautiful feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. We usually appreciate that Christ, the New Adam, died for our salvation on the cross. How often do we reflect on the fact that Christ was demonstrating that we always need to be obedient? Christ was obedient to the Father even to the point of death.

We might say, “oh yes, but He was God” and I am just a human. Christ loved His human status. His favorite description of Himself was "Son of Man." While we might elevate our status, to seem more than we really are, Christ was always humble, loving the nature that is ours.

This awesome feast might be an occasion for us to reflect on our own spirit of obedience. Are we self-driven, or do we turn often and prayerfully to the Holy Spirit for guidance in how we live our God-given lives?

- Joan of Jesus, OCDS
(jmurphy at utica dot edu)