A Word of Hope | Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross | From Fear to Hope
We see the cross everywhere: we wear it, we hang it in our churches, we stitch it into the simplest cloths. It has become commonplace. But on this Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14), Fr. Luke Barder, O.P. invites us to stop and take in what it actually means.
In Jesus' time, the cross was an instrument of fear and control, something to run from. But when the first Christians took up the cross after Easter, it became something revolutionary: a sign of hope. Tracing the story from the fear that first led Adam and Eve to sin and separation, to the Resurrection that broke death's power, this reflection shows why a symbol that depicts a death now fundamentally means life, joy, and the promise that not even death can separate us from the love of God.
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
0:00 – Welcome to A Word of Hope – Monday, September 14
0:06 – A great feast day: the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
0:12 – The cross has become commonplace – we see it everywhere
0:34 – Taking time to note what the cross actually means
0:41 – Ornate or simple: the profound nature of the cross
0:53 – "Take up your cross" – nobody wants to hear that
1:01 – After Easter, the cross became a sign of hope
1:12 – Before Easter: the cross was to be avoided, to run from
1:33 – Fear: the thing that first caused us to sin
1:47 – Adam and Eve: separation from God leads to death
2:12 – Death, darkness, emptiness, loneliness
2:20 – In Christ's time, the cross was meant to control people
2:26 – When Jesus rose, death no longer meant separation
2:35 – Fears and anxieties fall away – a new hope arose
2:49 – Not even death can separate us from the love of God
2:55 – What that means for how we separate one another
3:00 – The cross: a sign that God loved the world (John 3:16)
3:06 – God fixed the problem of division and eternal separation
3:19 – This is the Exaltation of the Cross – a great sign of hope
3:27 – It depicts a death, but now means life, joy, contentment
3:42 – Renew that spirit: we don't have to run from what we fear
3:53 – Facing fear with God's grace and the hope of the Resurrection
4:03 – Closing blessing
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💬 What is the cross you're tempted to run from right now? How might the hope of the Resurrection change the way you face it?
📖 Today's Gospel: John 3:13-17
📖 First Reading: Numbers 21:4b-9
📖 Second Reading: Philippians 2:6-11
📅 Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross – Monday, September 14, 2026
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