Holy Cross Day | St. John 12:37 | The Cross of Jesus Leads Us

September 14, 2025

John 12:32

 

Surely, you’ve all been there—sitting on the curb or in a comfy chair on the side of the main street through town, waiting for the festivities to begin. As the clock ticks by, and for the millionth time, a child asks, “When is it going to begin?” You tell them, “Soon,” and in the distance, you see it. You tell the child to stand up, place your hand upon your heart, son. “I see the flag coming now.”

 

This is how our parades start in America, showing love and respect for our country and for those who gave their lives in the fight for freedom. And whether you realize it or not, this is a type of procession. 

 

There is a beauty to this pageantry in America; it unites us under the banner of Old Glory - the Red, White, and Blue.

 

If you take a step back, life is full of processions, and they either unite us as a country, a community, a family, or the Church, or they divide us from one another.

 

Life is full of processions.

 

There’s the parade that unites the community. Or the wedding march that brings a man and woman together in marriage. Each morning, you awake, go through your routines, and join the morning commute as you journey to work. As the night comes, children process one by one to the bathroom to wash up, brush teeth, and prepare for sleep.

 

Yet, there are other processions in life, such as protests or demonstrations through city streets, which are often signs of disagreement. Sadly, there are marches to war and armed conflict by the armies of opposing nations and views. And there is the journey to the grave. 

 

Yes, life is full of processions.

 

But these are not new to us; they have been part of man’s story since the beginning of time. After Adam and Eve brought sin to mankind, they were sent and led out of paradise. Barred from entering the garden.

 

In reality, from this moment forward, the only choice for Adam, Eve, and their descendants is forward, to the cross, where Jesus, the long-awaited Seed of woman, promised by the Creator, will redeem man from sin and death.

 

And so, the whole accounting of the Old Testament documents one great procession of God’s people marching to the cross.

 

In fact, this is what Jesus is speaking of in today’s Gospel as He said,

But for this purpose I have come to this hour. … Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (John 12:27b, 31-32)

 

Think about this, Jesus triumphantly enters Jerusalem to the crowds clamoring for Him and chanting, Hosanna – “Save us now.”

 

Could there be a better procession than this?

 

Look at all the people who have gathered around and come to Him for rescue.

 

However, this is not how Jesus says He will draw and gather all people to Himself; He says this occurs when He is lifted up from the earth upon the tree of the holy cross. The hour when the crowds scattered from Jesus. The time when His disciples dispersed and ran away from His presence. The instance when it seemed all hope was lost. 

 

This is one of the confusing aspects of the cross.

 

Jesus’ journey to Calvary is one entire act of humiliation, starting from the moment He was conceived by the Virgin Mary and became man. The God-man took on and shared in your flesh, feelings, struggles, sadness, loss, and even your temptations. 

 

As Saint Paul wrote to the Philippians,

And being found in human form, [Jesus] humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:8)

 

The cross now becomes the transformational place of Jesus’ enthronement and the beginning of His exaltation as He now descends into the depths of hell to proclaim His victory over sin, death, and the Devil - to those imprisoned in hades.

 

As St. Paul writes to the Corinthians,

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:22)

 

And for this reason, the cross is now an instrument and symbol of Jesus Christ that gathers and leads God’s children.

 

The tired, the poor in spirit, the masses yearning for hope.

 

For this, Jesus said,

And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (John 12:32)

 

What a beautiful symbol.

 

Unfortunately, the flag of the United States, the old red, white, and blue, has ceased to be the banner that calls, rallies, and gathers its citizens in a united voice and spirit. The events of the past weeks and months reveal a very deeply divided country.

 

A vicious stabbing death on a train, bullets aimed at school children while the