Word Sharing Circle (WSC) Reflection Guide Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (For September 19, 2025 P&W)

Word Sharing Circle (WSC) Reflection Guide

September 14, 2025 (Cycle C, Year I) – Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Community Word: True followers of Christ live a life of love, self-sacrifice, and righteousness.

Theme: We are true followers of Christ when we believe in the saving love of His cross.

Promise: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” (Jn 3:16)

Reflection

On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Church invites us not simply to gaze upon the Cross as a piece of wood, but to embrace the mystery of God’s love revealed through it. It reminds us of the triumph of the Cross, the symbol of Jesus’ victory over sin and death, not a shameful sign of punishment or scandal. The Cross became the instrument in the fulfillment of God’s salvific plan. As Christians, we all believe that God became man, suffered, and died for our sins.

By the cross of Jesus, we are saved! “The Cross should be looked at as the symbol of God’s perfect love and God’s infinite power to use the worst for the best; to use death to bring life and to transform the greatest act of cruelty ever known into the greatest act of mercy ever bestowed upon the world,” as reflected in My Catholic Life.

Today, we are reminded of the reality of pains and sorrows in our life. Our Lord Jesus Himself was not spared of sufferings. St. Paul tells us: "He humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8). Through Christ’s passion and death, we are given this promise of God’s salvation: "For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life" (Jn 3:16).

When we read the Passion of Christ in Scripture or watch the events portrayed in films, our hearts are stirred and pierced. We are overwhelmed with gratitude, pity and sorrow. We feel the pain of Jesus and sense as though we are there, witnessing the greatest act of love in history – Jesus hanging on the cross at Calvary, the moment He gave everything for us.

In Rome, pilgrims can visit the Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme where the Church safeguards some of the most precious relics of our faith: fragments of the True Cross, the nails that pierced our Savior’s hands and feet, the thorns from the crown that wounded His head, and even the wooden inscription - Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.

It is such a faith-enriching experience. Let it be our prayer that all may experience the grace of seeing these sacred proofs of Jesus’ sacrifice, confirming His boundless love for each of us. These holy reminders call us to carry our own crosses with patience and faith. The Cross of Christ is our strength in temptation, our hope in suffering, and our source of inspiration. The Cross of Christ must transform and renew us. This becomes possible when we open our hearts to the infinite mercy of God flowing from Jesus’ selfless sacrifice. Even in moments of self-pity, frustrations, or despair, we must embrace the Cross and draw ourselves closer to Him.

The week’s theme reminds us: We are true followers of Christ when we believe in the saving love of His cross. We can only do this if we embrace Jesus’ commands to share in His sufferings, and allow Him to bear an abundance of good fruit through us. “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Mt 16:24–25).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your cross. May Your cross remind me always of Your saving love, and may it continue to transform me to bear fruit in my life that will give You glory, honor and praise. In Your name, I pray. Amen.

Reflection Guide Questions:

1. Do I see the Cross as a burden or as a gift of love? What is one daily challenge I can offer to Christ this week?

2. How can I let the Cross transform my attitude toward suffering?

3. How can I show others the love of Christ through my own sacrifices?

This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:

September 14, 2025 (Sun) – Nm 21:4-9/ Ps 78:1-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38/ Phil 2:6-11/ Jn 3:13-17

September 15, 2025 (Mon) – Heb 5:7-9/ Ps 31:2, 3-4, 5-6, 15-16, 20/ Jn 19:25-27 or Lk 2:33-35

September 16, 2025 (Tue) – 1 Tm 3:1-13/ Ps 101:1-3, 5, 6/ Lk 7:11-17

September 17, 2025 (Wed) – 1 Tm 3:14-16/ Ps 111:1-6/ Lk 7:31-35

September 18, 2025 (Thu) – 1 Tm 4:12-16/ Ps 111:7-10/ Lk 7:36-50

September 19, 2025 (Fri) – 1 Tm 6:2-12/ Ps 49:6-10.17-20/ Lk 8:1-3

September 20, 2025 (Sat) – 1 Tm 6:13-16/ Ps 100:1-2, 3, 4, 5/ Lk 8:4-15

“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”

Council of Servant Leaders

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Alfred S. Kudemus

CSL Secretariat

BLD Catholic Charismatic Covenant Community

"Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16