Chapter Chaplain's Homily Reflection - LIFTED UP TO HEAL

LIFTED UP TO HEAL

Today, the Church lifts high the Cross, not as a symbol of defeat and suffering, but as the radiant sign of Christ’s victory, glory and exaltation. What once stood as a tool of shame and death has become the throne of mercy and the banner of eternal hope.
In our first reading from the Book of Numbers, the Israelites, weary and rebellious in the desert, are healed not by avoiding the serpent, but by gazing upon it. God instructs Moses to lift up a bronze serpent so that those who look upon it may live. This moment foreshadows the mystery we celebrate today: healing comes not by turning away from suffering, but by lifting it up to God.

In the Gospel, Jesus tells Nicodemus, “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.” Here, the Cross is not a detour in salvation history; it is the very path. It is the place where divine love meets human brokenness and transforms it into redemption.

Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, gives us the great hymn of Christ’s humility and exaltation: “He emptied himself… becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Therefore God highly exalted him.” For Paul, the Cross is not just a place of suffering but where heaven bends low to lift humanity high.

At its core, the Cross represents the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ for the redemption of the world. Through his crucifixion, Jesus bore the weight of sin and bridged the chasm between God and man. This is the heart of substitutionary atonement: Christ took our place so we might live. As Paul writes, “He disarmed the powers and authorities… triumphing over them by the Cross.” (Col. 2:15).

So, the Cross is not something distant or abstract. It is the altar upon which love was poured out without measure. When we gaze upon Christ crucified, we do not see defeat or condemnation; we see love poured out, healing offered, and hope restored. The Cross becomes the very shape of Christian love, the sign that God has not abandoned us, but has entered into our suffering to redeem it from within.

Is it any wonder, then, that Jesus calls us to take up our crosses - not as burdens - but as pathways to grace. Every act of forgiveness, every moment of humility, every sacrifice made in love is a participation in His Cross. Today, the Cross becomes a pattern for Christian life; a call to self-denial, service, and fidelity.

The Cross is now our hope for glory, victory, and greatness. Just as the bronze serpent lifted by Moses brought healing to the Israelites (Numbers 21:4-9), so too does the Cross bring healing to all who lift their concerns to its light. So, I ask you: What in your life needs to be lifted up to the Cross? Your wounds? Your fears? Your pride? Your struggles?

So, let us not turn away from the Cross. Let us lift it high – in our hearts, in our homes, in our job place, and in our parish, so that all who look upon it may live. And let us leave this Mass renewed in faith, knowing that healing and redemption do not come by avoiding suffering, but by lifting it up to the Lord.