The Exaltation of the Holy Cross

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TODAY IS TUESDAY THE 14 SEPTEMBER, THE FEAST OF THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS, IN THE 24TH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME.

Josh Garrels sings, ‘Exalt the Lord Our God’. Take a moment now to reflect on the Holy Cross and Jesus, our Saviour, who is exalted because of the Cross…

Today’s reading is from St Paul’s letter to the Philippians.

Philippians 2:6-11

[Jesus] who, though he was in the form of God,

   did not regard equality with God

   as something to be exploited, 

but emptied himself,

   taking the form of a slave,

   being born in human likeness.

And being found in human form, 

   he humbled himself

   and became obedient to the point of death—

   even death on a cross. 

Therefore God also highly exalted him

   and gave him the name

   that is above every name, 

so that at the name of Jesus

   every knee should bend,

   in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 

and every tongue should confess

   that Jesus Christ is Lord,

   to the glory of God the Father. 

Jesus was “in the form of God”.  Stay with this phrase for a moment… what does it mean to you?

“Every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”: is this idea helpful in your prayer? If so, why (or why not?)

Now listen as the passage is read once more for you, and notice how it says that ”God highly exalted him, and gave him the name…above every name”. What does this mean to you?

Finally, see if you can bring together the feelings that are going on inside you, and turn them into a prayer to God or to Jesus.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.