You came in for the celebration of the mass. Why do you pass through the door for church? A child said I enter the door showing the cross. So, I decided it was the narrow door. Entering through the narrow door is difficult. There is meaning to the cross facing the celebrants. The highest gift was Jesus being crucified. Then how can it not be our focus. We celebrate today the cross on which Jesus died. At the time, crucifixion was a humiliation. Jesus was put on the cross? Why did he allow it? Jesus was sinless but decided to die on the cross for our salvation. He did it for obedience and humility, the point of dying on the cross. The Romans spoke of the cross as the most wretched way to day. Jews thought it was a humiliation. When Christianity started, Christians were prosecuted. The cross was the instrument bringing us salvation. Are we like the Romans? Moses obeyed to build a snake on a pole to save people from being bitten. As Moses lifted up the serpant, Jesus was lifted up. In our society displaying the cross is difficult. Living out Christian values is difficult. Jesus died on the cross and thus we are safe. The reality is Jesus saved us on the cross. Be proud to do the sign of the cross, symbolic of our salvation that should be adored. I look up to Jesus. Thank you for guiding and protecting me. We celebrate the exhaltation of the cross, the one that lived with humility and obedience to go to the cross. Jesus commanded us by blessing us. We believe and draw strength from it. Jesus, continue to bless us as you did on the cross, and it was not a useless death and may god bless us this week. Amen