LIVE IT TODAY: Sunday, September 14, 2025 | Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
I gave My Son for you—not to condemn you, but to save you through the Cross.
LIVE IT TODAY: Sunday, September 14, 2025 | Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
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GOD'S DECLARATION TO YOU TODAY
I gave My Son for you—not to condemn you, but to save you through the Cross.
INVOCATION
Come, Holy Spirit! Through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother Mary, open my heart to hear and receive all that You desire for me. Draw me ever more deeply into the Love and Life of the Blessed Trinity!
GOSPEL | John 3:13-17
Jesus said to Nicodemus:
"No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.
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."
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
EVERY DAY QUESTION
What struck you? Challenged you? Inspired you? What questions did it raise?
GOING DEEPER
The Cross Is Love, Not Condemnation
In speaking to Nicodemus, Jesus recalls the bronze serpent Moses lifted in the wilderness. In Numbers 21, the people of Israel were dying from venomous bites. Looking at the serpent became the means of healing—not because of magic, but because it was God’s chosen sign of mercy. In the same way, the Son of Man would be “lifted up”—a phrase that in Greek (hypsōthēnai) means both “raised high on the Cross” and “exalted in glory.” What looks like defeat is in fact the moment of victory.
And at the center of it all: “For God so loved the world.” These words are not cliché. They are the beating heart of Christianity. The Cross is not about condemnation but about salvation. The world expected a Messiah who would crush enemies; instead, God sent His Son to absorb sin and death through sacrificial love. The Cross reveals the extent of that love: arms stretched wide, embracing all.
Parents, this feast is an invitation to let the Cross define our homes. The measure of love is not convenience, but sacrifice. Our children need to see that love means carrying one another’s burdens, forgiving when it hurts, and remaining faithful even when it costs something. If they see us cling to the Cross in difficulty, they will learn that the Cross is not just jewelry or decoration—it is the way of life and love.
The world tells us to avoid suffering at all costs. Jesus tells us to look at the Cross and live. When we pray over our children by name, we anchor them in that truth: they are not condemned, they are loved. Their sins do not define them; God’s love poured out on the Cross does.
To exalt the Cross is to exalt love—love that saves, heals, and makes eternal life possible.
“The cross is the unique sacrifice of Christ, the ‘one mediator between God and men.’ But because in his incarnate divine person he has in some way united himself to every man, ‘the possibility of being made partners, in a way known to God, in the paschal mystery’ is offered to all men” (CCC 618).
LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS
Cross and Salvation: Do I truly see the Cross as the source of love and salvation in my life, or do I view it only as suffering?
Family Sacrifice: What concrete ways can our family practice sacrificial love that reflects the Cross?
Love Over Condemnation: Where do I need to replace a condemning spirit with the saving love of Christ?
FAMILY LIVE IT
Make some time today to gather together and, going around, each person share one way they can embrace the Cross in love this week—whether through forgiveness, sacrifice, or service.
Then pray over each person by name:
“Lord Jesus, You were lifted up on the Cross for [Name]. Pour Your saving love into their heart. Free them from lies of condemnation. Strengthen them to carry their cross with courage, and fill them with the hope of eternal life that comes through Your sacrifice.”
DAILY PARENT & GRANDPARENT BLESSING
LORD JESUS CHRIST, let Your holy anointing be upon each of our children, grandchildren, and godchildren this day and week, including all to whom they are called in vocation, and all future generations! In Your Sacred Name we claim them for You! We renounce all whispers, lies, and influences of the Enemy! We pray right now that each know Your loving Presence, be forged in virtue, and be flooded with an abundance of Your Holy Spirit to live fully their identity and mission in You now and through all eternity, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother! Amen.
PARENT BLESSING PROJECT: bit.ly/ParentBlessing
GOING VERTICAL
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Just as the vertical beam upholds the horizontal beam of the Cross, so too does undistracted, dedicated daily turning to God as our lifeblood uphold and strengthen every part of life. Start with just three minutes. Wait patiently for the breakthrough beyond the noise. Let Him speak.
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