Holy Father Pope Francis while addressing the faithful gathered at Casa Santa Marta during his homily explained that when we contemplate the cross, the mark of Christians, we contemplate a sign of defeat but also a sign of victory: “All that Jesus did during his life” failed on the cross – he said – and all the hope of his followers came to an end. The Pontiff recalled that in the first Reading, the Book of Numbers tells of the moment during the Exodus when the people who complained “were punished by serpents”. This, he said, refers to the ancient serpent, Satan, the “Great Accuser”.
As reported by Vatican news, Holy Father Pope Francis remarked that “We must not be afraid to contemplate the cross as a moment of defeat, of failure. When Paul reflects on the mystery of Jesus Christ, he says some powerful things. He tells us that Jesus emptied himself, annihilated himself, was made sin to the end and took all our sins upon himself, all the sins of the world: he was a ‘rag’, a condemned man. Paul was not afraid to show this defeat and even this can enlighten our moments of darkness, our moments of defeat. But the cross is also a sign of victory for us Christians”. Further, His Holiness added, “Our victory is the cross of Jesus, victory over our enemy, the ancient serpent, the Great Accuser. We have been saved by the cross, by the fact that Jesus chose to sink to the very lowest point, but with the power of divinity”.
The Pontiff concluded his homily by highlighting that “Our life goes on with Christ victorious and risen, and who sends us the Holy Spirit; but also with that chained dog, the devil, “whom I must not draw close to because he will bite me”.
