“When I am lifted from the Earth, I will draw all people to Myself”

By Fr. Christopher Foeckler, MJ • Phoenix, AZ

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross is intended to turn our attention outside the season of Lent to the Cross of Christ and to the prophecy of the Lord that “when I am lifted up [on the Cross], I will draw all people to Myself”. (cf Jn 12:32) How? Why? we ask. Isn’t the Cross painful and tragic, a sign of contradiction, a failure? Why would we want to exalt it? Let’s exalt the glorious resurrection of the Lord instead!

A main tenet of Christianity is that the eternal Son of God became a man born of the Virgin Mary and dwelt among us – the Incarnation. A mystery worth our daily consideration and admiration. And so what is God doing on a Cross? This is worth even more of our consideration, admiration, and amazement!

So many reject the idea of God because of the existence of pain and evil in the world. How can there be a Good God who is all powerful and allows evil to ravage the world? The “new atheists” rant about these evils to conclude there is no God and to dissuade others of the notion of God. And indeed, the problem of pain is a very difficult and delicate question for any believing Christian, and is certainly beyond the scope of this tiny article to embrace. But offering only the grave and non-existence after this life – too often filled with pain and injustice by the majority of innocent people throughout history – atheism does not offer any consolation to the problem of pain, only deeper desperation and wider separation between the “lucky and the unlucky” or the “haves and the have-nots” in life.

Yet, when we consider the Cross of Christ, and especially the fact that He came announcing and predicting that it was His destiny, His “hour” to come and even His “glory” as did the prophets long before Him, we get an important perspective on the problem of pain.

By embracing freely and innocently the cruel cross and unjust condemnation to it, the Lord shows He is not uncaring towards the problem of pain and injustice that so many suffer from in history. He has taken upon Himself the sufferings and injustices we have caused and have suffered! Christ on the Cross identifies as such with the vast majority of the human race throughout history – suffering unremitted pain, unprovoked injustice, and unspeakable sorrow. That is why and how He draws many to Himself; because we can identify with Him most when He is on the Cross, and He with those who suffer.

The Cross and suffering, however, do not have the last word in the ordeal of Christ; the cross does not prevail against the Lord Jesus! In three days, He rises gloriously to new and perfect life, offering the same to mankind for whom He came and unto whom He will offer complete justice to all at the end of time when every tear will be wiped away for those who hope in Him! 

“We proclaim Christ Crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Gentiles alike, Christ the power of God and the Wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” (cf 1Cor 1:23)