“God so loved the world that He gave his only Son.” Jn. 3:13-17

On the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, we contemplate the greatest act of love in history. The cross is not a symbol of defeat or senseless pain, but the tree where God’s unconditional gift flourishes to give us eternal life. As we look at the Crucified One, we remember that human suffering is not alien to God, for He embraced it to redeem us. Do we find it difficult today to discover God’s luminous presence in the midst of our own crosses and difficulties? His self-giving embraces us in our vulnerability; let us ask him to help us to be comfort and a presence that relieves the weight of the cross of others.