Daily reflection _ The Son of Man lifted up

THE SON OF MAN LIFTED UP
"God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that he who believes in him might not perish but have eternal life."… God wants us to love.
Deacon John Ruscheinsky
Today we celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. We hear in the first reading that people of Israel were afflicted with serpents in the wilderness because of their sin. God instructed Moses: "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live." The bronze serpent points to the cross of Christ which defeats sin and death and obtains everlasting life for those who believe. The result of Jesus "being lifted up on the cross" and His rising and exaltation to the Father's right hand in heaven, is our "new birth in the Spirit" and adoption as sons and daughters of God. God not only redeems us, but He fills us with his own divine life and power that we might share in His glory.
All three readings come together very well today. St. Paul speaks often about the cross in his letters. He says that his only boast is in the cross of Jesus. Paul frequently reminds us that there is no work we can do that earns us redemption. Rather, through the cross, Jesus has accomplished the work of uniting Jews and Gentiles. He preached that God has nailed our sins and their resulting guilt to the cross; when Jesus died on the cross so did our guilt. Paul preached the mystery that the very instrument that put Jesus to death was also the means of our new life. What we could not do, God did. Paul would conclude that we have reason to exalt because the power of sin and death are conquered through the cross.
Jesus said in the Gospel of John: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that he who believes in him might not perish but have eternal life." Jesus came to this world to help us through life, teach us how to truly live. By becoming human like us, He showed us it can be done. He wants to have a relationship with us, to dwell with-in us. Paul also told us today that Jesus emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, human in likeness; humbling Himself, and being obedient even to death for us.
One question I asked myself during my reflection on the readings: What about denying ourselves, losing our life, following the crucified one? How do these teachings fit into the picture? Well, God wants us to love. Because that is God's purpose for us, He builds it into our nature. We want to love. We feel terrible when we don't love. Now anybody who had ever loved knows that it costs - but they still want to do it. They want to give things to those they love, do things for them. They help them bear their burdens. They stick with them through difficult times. It hurts. That is the denying of self, the losing of life.
Sr. Marsha Sinetar said in an article: If your love is broad and deep, so that, for example, you want to change the system to help those who are being squashed by it, you might get threatened, beat up, or killed. It happened to many like, Martin Luther King, Mohandas Ganghi, and Jesus of Nazareth.
This is all for love, relationships, and we are all called to this cross.
The cross of Jesus gives us many things to reflect on: Pain, suffering, sacrifice. But most importantly. Justice, humility, and love.