Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The assigned readings are Numbers 21:4-9, Phillipians 2:6-11, and John 3:13-17. The Responsorial Psalm is Psalm 78 (Psalm 78:1-2, 34-38).

For one version of the Responsorial Psalm set to music, please visit:

YouTube: Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 78

The Gospel reading is as follows:

Jesus said to Nicodemus: “No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And 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.”

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

Reflections on these readings:

Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio: Terrorism and the Victory of the Cross

Msgr. Charles Pope: The Wisdom and Power of the Cross - A Homily for the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (13 SEP 14)

Spirituality of the Readings: Look at the Cross (Exaltation of the Holy Cross)

The Word Embodied: Being Saved by God's Kind Favor (Exaltation of the Holy Cross)

Historical Cultural Context: The World's Darkness (Exaltation of the Holy Cross)

Thoughts from the Early Church: Commentary by Bede (Exaltation of the Holy Cross)