Fix Your Eyes on the Cross 

“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.” (John 3:14-15) 

At Mass recently, as the priest lifted the host I visualized the cross being raised up with Jesus already nailed to it as the soldiers clumsily used ropes to pull it up. It made me cringe thinking of the way His wounds must have widened a bit by the jerking and sheer force of the jolt into the ground. He hung there for three hours. We now gaze upon crosses in our Churches or in our homes. Our Eucharistic Lord also allows us to gaze upon Him as the host is lifted up during the consecration–His life laid down again and again for us–and held up for us before we say “Amen” to receive Him and His life within us. The cross and the Eucharist are both constant reminders of Jesus’ sacrifice for us.

Jesus became the bridge in our relationship with God by becoming a sacrifice. Where there once was a great chasm, Jesus on the cross bridged humanity with the Father once again. Just as Moses lifted the serpent on a pole in the desert so that anyone bitten by a snake could be healed, so Jesus is placed on a cross so that all who gaze upon Him might be contrite for their sins and seek reconciliation with God. 

Satan comes and tries to steal God’s life from us by persuading us to sin. The devil tries to foster feelings of dissatisfaction, compelling us to question God, just like he did with Eve in the garden. But now we have the cross to remind us of God’s love for us. God sent His only begotten Son to us as a remedy from the evils of sin. He is an example to follow, a sacrifice lifted high for all to see.

Jesus’ sacrifice is where we fix our gaze, not only because He laid down His life for us, but also because we know the rest of the story. We know the lifting up does not end with the cross. Jesus also rose from the dead and ascended into heaven where He is seated at the right hand of the Father. The story does not end with death but instead with new life, eternal life. 

The cross changed everything for us. There, in Him, we can find mercy, love, understanding, compassion, generosity, and perfection which heals us in supernatural ways. As we celebrate the Exaltation of the Cross, let’s fix our eyes on Him, believing in His saving power and trusting in His great love for us.

By Nicole Berlucchi