Numbers 21:4-9 or Philippians 2:6-11 / John 3:13-17
We appreciate beautiful objects and we also have beautiful objects in our possession.
These beautiful objects stir up sentiments and emotions in us in a way that appeals to us.
Similarly, when it comes to religious objects, we would like to look at religious objects that stir up religious sentiments and emotions in us.
When we see a beautiful Cross, we will admire it and think about how Jesus suffered and died on the Cross to save us.
But when Jesus suffered and died on the Cross, it was certainly not a beautiful sight.
Because the Cross was an instrument of torture, suffering and death.
But with Jesus on it, the Cross was turned into a sign of salvation.
Indeed, the Cross is a sign of contradiction, because it shows that the ways of God are not the ways of man, and the thoughts of God are not the ways of man.
As we celebrate the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, we are reminded of the suffering and death of Jesus on the Cross.
But it was also through the Cross, that Jesus won our salvation and it has become the sign of hope.
As we reflect and meditate on the Cross, let us remember the agony of Jesus on the Cross.
As we embrace and carry our cross, let us also rejoice in the hope that we too will share in the glory of the Cross of Jesus Christ our Saviour.