Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Sunday, September 14, 2025

My grandfather passed away when I was in the fifth grade. Now, I share this with the utmost respect for my grandfather, but we didn't have a great relationship: I remember sometimes feeling like I was an annoyance to him. I also don't remember our relationship being warm or affectionate. That's just how it was, although I did love him and I know he loved me. That said, when he died, I felt really inspired to pray for his soul. Every night, right before falling asleep, I decided to offer some Hail Mary’s, Our Fathers, and Glory Be’s for him.

And, after offering these prayers each night for well over a year, I remember having a very vivid dream. And, in this dream, my grandfather and I were in what looked to be a large country club dining room, and, there, he hugs me and is crying so hard. And, through his tears, he repeats: “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”


I woke up and understood he was thanking me for the prayers and sacrifice I offered to God for him. 


…That experience confirmed for me what our faith teaches: Just as Jesus’ sacrifice and prayer on the cross has power to save, He gives power to our prayers and sacrifices when we offer them to Him.


And that’s the mystery of the cross; that’s the mystery of suffering: It’s a mystery because suffering is something we don’t want, and it makes us question God, yet, if we offer that suffering to God as a sacrifice, it leads to the betterment of ourselves, to the betterment of the world, and, ultimately to Heaven.


…The effect of Jesus’ suffering, which leads to real forgiveness, to real healing, and to a real place called Heaven, was foreshadowed in the Book of Numbers when Moses, commanded by God, lifted up a bronze serpent on a pole so that anyone who looked upon it, after being bitten by a deadly snake, would be saved from death.


Then, in the Gospel, Jesus explicitly references that passage to explain how it foreshadows Him: That, when He Himself is lifted up, anyone who believes in Him shall not suffer eternal death, but will live forever. 


…This past Wednesday, a heavy cross of grief and anger was placed upon the family of Charlie Kirk through an act of evil. Whatever one thought of his politics, Charlie was first and foremost a human being and a fellow Christian.


Charlie was not ashamed to share his faith, and he sought to enthusiastically engage young people.


His tragic death is a stark reminder of how ugly sin is. Not only was Charlie’s respectful dialogue met with violence, but his murder was treated by some as something to celebrate, and by others, as justifiable.


Yet, even in the face of evil, we must not give in to hatred. Even to simply justify that violence is to side with evil, but those who hold such views are not themselves evil; they are precious to God: They are our brothers and sisters of the same human family. We are commanded to love them; love is a verb; remember that; and we are commanded to pray for them, even if they would never do the same for us. And, as our faith teaches, when we offer our prayers, our sorrow, and our anger to God, He gives those offerings real power: Real power to heal hearts, to break the cycle of violence, and to really change the world.



Scripture passages for this day: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/091425.cfm

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