Daily Gospel Reflections for Sep 14, 2026

SPEAKER_1 (0:10)

I confess to Almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words, in what I've done and in what I failed to do, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore, I ask Blessed Mary Ever-Virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God. September 14, 2026 Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.

SPEAKER_2 (0:50)

No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who was in heaven.

As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God didn't send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.

SPEAKER_1 (1:31)

The Gospel of the Lord. 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. Jesus reminds Nicodemus of the time when Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the desert. The Israelites who had been beaten by poisonous snakes were told to look at it, and those who did were saved. Jesus uses this image to point toward his own death. He too would be lifted up, not on a pole in the desert, but on the cross. The cross can be difficult to understand. It was an instrument of suffering and death. Yet, through Jesus, it became the place where we see the death of God's love.

Christ willingly gave himself for us, so that sin and death would not have the final word. This is why Jesus speaks about believing in him. Faith is more than knowing who Jesus is, or agreeing with his teachings. It means placing our lives in his hands, including the parts we struggle to understand.

There will be times when we carry fear, disappointment, guilt or problems that have no easy solution. We may spend so much time looking at what is wrong, that we forget where Jesus asks us to look.

Look to him. The cross does not promise that suffering will disappear from our lives. It tells us that suffering is not the end of the story. Jesus went through death and opened the way to eternal life. When life becomes difficult, we can return our eyes to the cross and remember who is there. The one who loves us. The one who gave himself for us. The one in whom we place our hope.

What are we facing today that has taken our attention away from Jesus? Can we bring it before the cross and place our trust in him again?

Lord Jesus, when our hearts become burdened by what we are facing, help us turn our eyes back to you. Strengthen our faith when we struggle to trust, and remind us of the love you showed us on the cross. Help us place our lives in your hands and follow you with faith. Amen.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.